Opinion Polls May Not Be Allowed: Assam CEO

By Prasanta Mazumdar

Guwahati, Mar 3 : After exit poll, the axe may now fall on opinion poll with the Election Commission asserting that opinion poll might not be allowed if it influenced the voters.

“Opinion poll won’t be allowed,” Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), Assam, Hemanta Narzary, told journalists at a press conference here on Wednesday evening. However, seconds later he added “Opinion poll won’t be allowed if it influences the voters”.

His reference was to opinion polls being conducted by some NGOs in the state.

The commission has decided to keep an eye on even pre-poll analysis by the media. “We will take measures if analysis (by the media) influences voters,” Narzary said.

The Election Commission has also decided to monitor the election expenditures by the candidates. According to the latest ECI guidelines, a candidate cannot spend beyond `16 lakh during the election campaigning.

“The commission has already issued guidelines asking the candidates to open a bank account solely for election-related expenditures,” Narzary said.

He also said that an election observer (EO), to be appointed in each election district, would monitor the election-related expenditures by the candidates. He will be assisted by an assistant election observer.

“Besides, a number of video surveillance teams, video viewing teams, accounting teams and others will monitor the expenditures,” the CEO said. He added that altogether 10 teams would monitor the expenditures in each election district.

The commission, he said, had already issued guidelines making the candidates to declare the assets of their spouses and dependents in their affidavits.

“All lists would be examined by the Income Tax Department after six months,” Narzary said.

The CEO said all illegal arms would be seized. “We have already instructed the deputy commissioners and the process is on,” he said.

The two-phase polls in Assam will be held on April 4 and 11. The state has over 1.81 crore voters.