New Delhi: The Election Commission has sought views of various political parties on the issue of banning opinion polls after the government asked it to hold fresh consultations on the issue.
The government had thrown the ball back into the court of Election Commission on the issue after it did not approve the EC proposal on banning opinion polls and instead asked it to hold fresh consultations.
The poll body has asked various recognised national and state political parties to give their views on the issue by October 21.
"The Commission desires that the views of your political party on the proposal to prohibit conducting opinion polls and disseminating results thereof during the election period may be communicated to the Commission. This may kindly be done latest by October 21, 2013," said an EC letter to presidents/ general secretaries/chairpersons of all recognised parties.
The EC had submitted a proposal to the government to ban opinion polls which was turned down on the plea that the poll body should hold fresh consultations with parties on the issue.
"The Commission has been suggesting to the government that there should be a similar prohibition or restriction on opinion polls also as there could be several manipulated opinion polls which could impact the voting pattern," it said.
The last time the EC had convened a meeting of political parties to elicit their views on prohibiting or restricting publishing results of opinion polls and exit polls during elections was on April 6, 2004, when the parties unanimously expressed the view that results of exit polls should not be published before close of poll in all phases of elections.
