Opinion, exit polls manipulated, says EC

After successfully conducting the Lok Sabha polls, the Election Commission says opinion and exit and opinion polls are "manipulated" and should not be permitted.

"We believe that exit polls and opinion polls are manipulated. They do influence free and fair polls and every political party opposed it," Election Commissioner S Y Quraishi told Karan Thapar on CNBC's 'India Tonight' programme.

He, however, said the issue is before the Supreme Court.

Rejecting charges that clubbing all naxal-hit ares together for polling led to several killings, Quraishi said it was a "master stroke" to conduct the election together in those areas.

"Bunching the elections together in naxal-affected areas was no mistake. That scheduling was a master stroke," he said, adding the Commission felt after consultations with the Home Ministry and others that "if the elections are done together in 17 naxal-affected states together it will give us an advantage."

He said the Commission could adopt the "same scheduling" in holding elections in those areas in future as well.