TIMES NEWS NETWORK[ FRIDAY, MARCH 26, 2004 11:36:48 PM ] NEW DELHI: The Election Commission feels that exit and opinion polls can be banned. It pins a lot of hope on the all-party meeting scheduled for April 6 to discuss the issue. 

Apart from the political consensus in favour of a ban the EC witnessed during the previous all-party meeting on February 20, it is also counting on another factor that legal experts have pointed out. A senior EC official says the apex court had only asked if EC could enforce the ban. 

‘‘Our ban order was not quashed in the strict sense but we decided to withdraw the order,’’ he says. In a nutshell, he feels, the problem is of evolving a mechanism which could satisfy the SC. 

But sources feel that the ban might not be possible during this electi on and the current move is only for future elections. 

The Commission is of firm belief that there should be no exit and opinion poll in a multi-phase election. In 1999, EC sources feel, exit polls did influence voting after the first phase. 

Therefore, a way out in evolving a mechanism could emerge at the meeting. Once the EC and the political parties agree on how and who would enforce the ban, the SC would be approached with a review petition. Either the information and broadcasting ministry or a political party would be made a petitioner to which the EC would be a party. 

Source: Times of India.India Times.com