UP: Immediately after the first phase of elections in Uttar Pradesh, Dainik Jagran published exit poll violating the regulations. As a consequence of it, the newspaper invited the wrath of the authorities. UP Police raided on the owners of Dainik Jagran newspaper in Kanpur, Ghaziabad and Noida.
It may be noted that Election Commission of India had already issued instructions to Election Officers of the districts included in the first phase of Uttar Pradesh poll to file an FIR against the owners of the newspaper under Section 188 of IPC read with Section 126A and 126B of RP Act, 1951.
Dainik Jagran had carried out a report of the exit poll favouring BJP in UP Assembly Elections which was in direct contravention of the guidelines of the Election Commission as six more phases of polling are still left.
According to the news published in Janta Ka Reporter, Dainik Jagran’s finding projected, “The BJP will become the numero uno party in the first phase. The Mayawati-led Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) will be at second position while the Samajwadi Party-Congress alliance is not likely to get a positive response from the voters”.
It further added, “The region is crucial to the BJP because it swept all the 12 Lok Sabha seats in Western UP in the 16th general election. The other important thing to be noted is that BJP-led NDA government has three Union Ministers from the region – Mahesh Sharma, Retired General VK Singh, and Sanjeev Baliyan.”
However, later, the paper withdrew the controversial news.
It remains to be seen what action Election Commission would take to uphold the democratic values and transparency in the election process.