EC seeks urgent ban on opinion polls-TNN, Oct 21, 2010,

EC seeks urgent ban on opinion polls

TNN, Oct 21, 2010, 12.53am IST

(I AM SURE BY NOW OUR VOTERS ARE MATURE ENOUGH TO UNDERSTAND WHICH CANDIDATE AND PARTY IS GOOD FOR THEM,FOR THEIR AREA AND FOR THEIR STATE....AND WON'T GET INFLUENCED MUCH BY OPINION POLLS. AT THE SAME TIME EVEN MEDIA UNDERSTANDS ITS RESPONSIBILITY AND NEED TO DO BALANCED DISCUSSIONED AND SURVEYS....AND NOT THE WAY SHOWN IN 'PEEPLI LIVE'....WELL ITS EC'S CHOICE BUT THEN WHAT WILL MEDIA DO???...THESE ARE THE TIME WHEN THEY GET TRP'S???...VIBHA)


NEW DELHI: A day before the first phase of poll in Bihar, Election Commission has asked the law ministry to bring an immediate ordinance to prohibit opinion polls and dissemination of results of such polls from the day of notification of an election and till completion of poll in all phases where an election is held in different phases.

In a letter to law secretary, K F Wilfred, secretary, EC, said, "Such a restriction would be in the wider interests of free and fair elections as such opinion polls often tend to cause prejudicial effect on the minds of electors."

Citing publication of opinion polls an Bihar elections, Wilfred said, "It has been observed that various agencies connected with electronic and print media are presently conducting opinion polls in the context of the current general election to the Bihar Legislative Assembly and some of them have even published the results of such opinion polls quite recently. It is, therefore, extremely desirable that the law on the subject is amended urgently by issuing an ordinance."

Wilfred said amendment to the Representation of the People Act, 1951 early this year addressed only exit polls leaving out opinion polls. Therefore, a similar restriction be applied on opinion polls also