Why the arrest?

The newspaper violated the model code of conduct which bars publication of exit polls before the completion of all phases of voting. On 27 January, the Election Commission had issued a notification stating that exit polls were banned between 4 February and 8 March – the last date of voting for assembly elections in Punjab, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Goa and Manipur.

Acting on the violation, the Election Commission had ordered lodging of FIRs against Dainik Jagran in 15 districts in Uttar Pradesh. FIRs was also ordered against the management of Resource Development International (I) Pvt. Ltd, the agency which conducted the exit poll.

What did the exit poll say?

Uttar Pradesh had its first phase of polling for 73 out of 403 seats on Saturday. 

Jagran’s exit poll was based on a survey of a voter sample of about 5,700 people across 38 Assembly seats in west UP. The polls favoured the BJP, giving it a lead in the segment that went to polls. Curiously, the exit polls were published only on Jagran’s website and not in the newspaper. 

What does the media group day?

Dainik Jagran, India’s most-read newspaper, is published by Jagran Prakashan Ltd.

The media group has given a statement saying the exit poll was published inadvertently on its English website and it was immediately removed after being detected by senior officials of the group, reports PTI.

In a statement, the group said, “It may be clarified that except for the digital English platform no news item attributing to exit poll was published in Dainik Jagran newspaper.”

It further say, “On the English website a news was inadvertently published mentioning about an exit poll. However, the mistake was self corrected and the news report was immediately removed when the report was noticed by senior officials of the group…We clarify that we fully comply with the directions which has been issued by Election Commission of India and are in the process of filing a detailed fact-based response with the ECI clarifying the position.”