On October 26, 2023, the Election Commission of India (ECI) announced the schedule for the General Election to the Legislative Assembly of Bihar and bye-elections which will be held on October 6, 2025. Polling in the Bihar elections will be held in two phases on November 6, 2025 and November 11, 2025. Section 126 (1)(b) of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, prohibits displaying any election matter in any polling area during the 48-hour silence period before the conclusion of the poll. TV/Radio channels and cable networks must ensure their broadcasts during this 48-hour period do not contain material influencing the election, including opinion polls. The Commission has prohibited the conduct of Exit polls and dissemination of their results from 7:00 AM on November 6, 2025 (Thursday) to 6.30 PM on November 11, 2025 (Tuesday) under Section 126A of the R.P. Act 1951. Violation of Section 126 of the R.P. Act, 1951 is punishable with imprisonment up to two years, or with a fine, or both. All media houses are advised to follow these instructions. Release ID: 2182632, Visitor Counter: 1576.
Key Entities Referenced
Representation of the People Act, 1951: Indian law regulating elections. Sections 126 and 126A of the Act are central to the policy's restrictions on displaying election matter and conducting exit polls during specified periods.
Election Commission of India (ECI): The constitutional authority responsible for conducting elections. The ECI is issuing the policy on restrictions during silence period and exit polls.
Bihar: The Indian state where the general election to Legislative Assembly and bye-elections will be held in 2025, making it the location where the policy will be applied.
Exit poll: A poll of voters taken immediately after they have exited the polling stations. The policy prohibits conducting and disseminating exit poll results during a specified period.
Section 126: Part of the Representation of the People Act, 1951. Prohibits displaying election matter during the silence period and makes violations punishable.
Election Commission
Bihar Elections and bye-elections 2025:
Prohibition of display of Election Matter in
Silence Period and Exit Poll
Posted On: 26 OCT 2025 3:58PM by PIB Delhi
1. The Election Commission of India (ECI) announced the schedule for the General
Election to Legislative Assembly of Bihar and bye-elections on October 6, 2025. Polling
in the Bihar elections will be held in two phases on November 6, 2025 and November 11,
2025 respectively.
2. Section 126 (1)(b) of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, prohibits displaying
any election matter by means, inter alia, of television or similar apparatus, in any polling
area during the period of forty-eight hours (silence period) ending with the hour fixed for
the conclusion of the poll for any election in that polling area.
3. The Commission reiterates that the TV/Radio channels and cable networks should ensure
that the contents of the programmes telecast/broadcast/displayed by them during the
period of 48 hours referred to in the above section do not contain any material, including
views/appeals by panellists/participants that may be construed as promoting/prejudicing
the prospect of any particular party or candidate(s) or influencing/affecting the result of
the election. This includes display of any opinion poll.
4. The Commission under Section 126A of the R.P. Act 1951, has notified that the conduct
of Exit poll and dissemination of their results by means of print or electronic media is
prohibited between 7:00 AM on November 6, 2025 (Thursday) and 6.30 PM on
November 11, 2025 (Tuesday). Violation of Section 126 of the
R.P. Act, 1951 is punishable with imprisonment upto a period of two years, or with fine or both.
5. The Commission advises all Media houses to follow instructions in this regard in keeping
with its spirit.
***********
PK/GDH/RP
(Release ID: 2182632) Visitor Counter : 1576
Read this release in: Malayalam , Urdu , ही , Tamil