Viral Survey Claiming Congress Majority is Fake: No Post-Phase 1 Polls by New Channels

The Phase 1 voting kicked off on April 19. Amidst the voting, a viral image showing surveys conducted by Zee News, Republic TV and India Today has garnered attention on X (formerly Twitter). The survey image is primarily circulated by the Congress affiliated handles. These viral surveys suggest that the Congress is getting majority of seats. One of the viral survey of Republic TV shared by the handle Harshita indicates Congress getting 66 seats, while BJP is trailing on 34 seats.

Another handle, Congress Sevadal has shared 4 different survey images purportedly conducted by the above mentioned news channel. According to the first survey of Republic TV, Congress is expected to get 7 seats and BJP 5 seats in Rajasthan. Another survey by Republic TV for Phase 1 in Tamil Nadu shows that Congress will get 39 seats, while BJP is projected to get 0 seats. Moreover, India Today survey shows that Congress will get 5 seats in Uttar Pradesh, while BJP will gets only 3 seats. Lastly, the Zee News survey for Bihar indicates Congress winning 3 seats, while BJP is projected to get 1 seat.

Congress Sevadal wrote, “Congress and INDIA Alliance are doing extremely well, and ahead of the BJP in the 102 seats that underwent polling today. Ground reports suggest that the INDIA alliance is far ahead in Tamil Nadu, Bihar, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh. Pack-up time for Modi…! #ModiTohGayo”

The same images of these news channels were also shared by Delhi Pradesh Congress Sevadal, West Bengal Congress Sevadal, Tripura Congress Sevadal, and Odisha Congress Sevadal.

Furthermore, Lalji Desai, National President of Congress Sevadal, sharing the surveys of Republic and Zee News wrote, “Modi and BJP’s dream of crossing 400 was shattered after the first phase of voting. Out of four hundred, four are going to disappear, leaving a hundred left! #ModiTohGayo”

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Fact Check

We started our fact check by scrutinizing official social media platforms Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube of Republic TV, Zee News and India Today. However, we found no evidence of any survey conducted by these news channels for the first phase.

Moreover, the report by Punjab Kesari dated March 30 stated that the Election Commission of India (ECI) has banned the exit polls from 7 am on April 19 to 6.30 pm on June 1.

We also found the March 16 press note of ECI. The “Media restrictions during silence period and on Exit polls” section of the press note says, “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.”

It further says, “Section 126A of the R.P. Act 1951, prohibits conduct of Exit poll and dissemination of their results by means of print or electronic media during the period mentioned therein, i.e. between the hour fixed for commencement of poll in the first phase and half an hour after the time fixed for close of poll for the last phase in all the States. 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.”

The notification clarifies that under the Representation of the People Act, a ban has been imposed on any election related matter, including the results of any opinion poll or any other survey, in any electronic media from April 19 to June 1. If this is done then it is a punishable offence under Section 126B of the R.P. Act 1951.

Conclusion: The viral survey by Zee News, Republic TV and India Today showing Congress getting a majority of seats is fake. These news channels have not conducted any survey after the commencement of Phase 1 voting.

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