New Delhi, May 19 (TIWN): The Lok Sabha elections exit poll results will be declared on Sunday evening, more than a month after the seven-phase Lok Sabha elections begun. The results will be out immediately after polling across 59 constituencies in the seventh and last phase comes to an end. Several national pollsters like CVoter, Chanakya, news channels, newspapers and other agencies will release their predictions. The agencies can start releasing data only after 6:30 pm, as per the directives of the Election Commission. The commission had refrained the media from telecasting or publishing any opinion polls or exit polls from April 11 till the end of polling in the last phase on May 19. It had also barred any prediction of results of elections by astrologers, tarot readers or political analysts.

The release of any data when polling is underway, which could influence the voters is prohibited under Section 126A of the Representation of Peoples Act. This, the EC said, is done in order to ensure free, fair and transparent election. The EC has said that any prediction of results or release of data before May 19 would be considered a violation of the spirit of the RPA and invite punitive action.