BackOpinion polls: AAP tells EC to form regulatory panel
The demand comes a day after a sting operation revealed that some agencies tweak findings of their pre-election opinion polls for money
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New Delhi: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Wednesday demanded that the Election Commission (EC) constitute a regulatory mechanism to check opinion polls.
AAP’s demand comes a day after a television news channel claimed that a sting operation conducted by it had revealed that some agencies that conduct opinion polls before elections are willing to tweak their findings for money.
“We demand that the EC should constitute a regulatory mechanism and authority to regulate opinion polls. Instead of shutting them down, there should be a code of conduct governing them," said Yogendra Yadav, an AAP leader and psephologist who worked on opinion polls in the past.
Former Delhi chief minister and AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal said News Broadcasters Association (NBA) should take cognizance of the sting and initiate an inquiry on the authenticity of the video tapes aired by the broadcaster News Express.
“First it happened during Delhi elections and now it is happening before Lok Sabha elections...opinion polls are being manipulated and manufactured and it against the spirit of democracy," Kejriwal said.
Both Kejriwal and Yadav called for “media reforms" and transparency in news organizations. Kejriwal has demanded that editors across newsrooms declare their assets and also cross-ownership in media organizations.
“The country has the right to know about the media houses, this is an important time and not just a knee-jerk reaction," Yadav said. Kejriwal and his party have been attacking the media in recent days.
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