New Delhi, Apr 09: The government today sought the opinion of Attorney General Soli Sorabjee as to whether it was legally permissible at this stage to promulgate an ordinance banning all types of opinion and exit polls concerning the Lok Sabha elections. The Union Law Ministry has referred to the Attorney General the proposal after it received the recommendation of all political parties seeking such a ban, official sources told.

The political parties expressed their unanimity on ban on such types of polls before the actual elections at a meeting convened by the Election Commission.

Pursuant to the meeting, the commission had written to the law ministry conveying the recommendations of the all-party meeting and its comments on the issue. The commission is understood to have favoured suitable amendments in the representation of people act to ban opinion and exit polls.

Since the country was already in an election mode, there may be no option for the government but to choose the ordinance route as the issue had the support of all the parties, they said.

Bureau Report