Election Commission opposes gallop polls

The Election Commission on Wednesday opposed gallop polls or polling opinion, saying this could affect public opinion vis-à-vis the electoral process. It was perhaps for the first time that the commission aired its voice against such means of gauging political or electoral trend.
The commission Secretary Kanwar Mohammad Dilshad said this while speaking at the end of a workshop on investigating reporting on elections here at a local hotel. -- "Gallop polls and polling opinion also affect the public opinion, which should be avoided, as most of the voters are influenced through publicity by electronic and print media," he claimed.
It might provoke some reaction from the opposition parties, which already had some reservations about the elections' fairness and transparency, he observed.