A-G shocker; Supports banning of opinion polls

New Delhi, Nov 4: In a recent development in the

polls debate, Attorney General Goolam E Vahanvati has supported the banning of the pre-poll surveys. The

had already called for the ban, while the Law Ministry has left the decision to the

.

Meanwhile, the oppositions argue that the Congress is seeking ban, fearing that the results of the pre-poll survey may mar its political life. As a counter argument, Congress General Secretary Digvijaya Singh said:

"Opinion polls should be stopped. In a state like Madhya Pradesh which has more than 3 crore voters how can you have a survey with just 2800 people? These should be stopped. Anyone can give some money and get the survey done. These people are not even authorised by the government said.

Rajiv Pratap Rudy, BJP leader said, "Surveys and opinion polls have been conducted for a very long time but now the Congress is suggesting that it should be banned. There were occasions when they welcomed the opinion polls when they were in their favour. It highlights the insecurity of the Congress. They are losing grounds and they are desperate for it to be banned. I don't think there is any actual need for ban, it's an exercise in democracy which is far welcome."

Tuning on similar ideas, CPI leader A Raja said, "Congress has reasons to worry about the recent poll surveys which are coming out every now and then because the opinion polls show that Congress is declining and will be defeated."

The Congress, however, still maintains, "Such kind of opinion polls are not in the interest of healthy democracy." Currently, all the opinion polls have projected Congress going through a rough patch. At present, there is a ban on opinion polls starting from 48 hours before voting.

OneIndia News