Ban opinion, exit polls, say parties

MANDATE 2004

All parties unanimously demanded a ban on opinion polls from the first day of the issue of notifications and exit polls till 5 pm on May 10, but the Election Commission said it would discuss the matter before taking a decision because in 1999, the Supreme Court had held that the EC had no jurisdiction on the issue. In that election the EC had issued a ban but had to withdraw it.

Sources felt that a way out could be the promulgation of an ordinance to punish those who flouted the ban.

An all-party meeting, convened by the poll panel to discuss banning exit polls and opinion polls reached a consensus that the opinion polls should be banned from the first day of notification. In the case of exit polls, the results should not be announced before 5 pm on May 10, the last phase of the Lok Sabha polls.

While Congress dubbed opinion polls as "opinion making polls", the RJD demanded that even astrological predictions should not be published or telecast.

The 90-meeting saw the Congress and the BJP sharply divided over what constituted personal attacks. Seeking clarification from EC on the definition of personal attacks, Congress leader Kapil Sibal said political parties agreed that there should not be any personal attacks and committed themselves to agreeing with whatever the EC suggested.

However, senior BJP leader Vijay Kumar Malhotra said his party felt that foreign origin issue was the core issue and not a personal attack. But he said that there should be a ban on casting aspersions on somebody's character.

On this issue, the ADMK felt that voters should have the right to know the background of the leaders in the fray, Malhotra said.

Briefing reporters after the meeting, Sibal and Malhotra said separately that the commission heard their views and assured them that it would take a decision on the matters raised by them as early as possible. Malhotra said the BJP felt there was nothing wrong with the opinion polls, but that it did not have any objection if a ban was imposed.

Apparently stung by the attack on congress president Sonia Gandhi on her foreign origins, Sibal suggested at the meeting that the commission should suo motu ban personal attacks and issue directions so that the right signal was sent across.

Observing that the model code of conduct was not specific on the issue of personal attacks, he claimed that the commission indicated it would come with clarification. However, on the issue of slanderous political advertisements, since the issue was sub judice that there could not be a discussion on it at the meeting.

On this issue, Malhotra said that the commission should give clearance to an advertisement submitted to it within 24 hours. He said the Commission might convene another all party meeting on the issue after the Supreme Court gave its ruling.

Deploring political mudslinging as undemocratic, the apex court yesterday warned that it would consider making slanderous advertisements an "electoral offence".