i am amazed at the argument that opinion polls and exit polls influence the masses negatively. a close look at the other democracies give you a different picture. US for instance is obsessed with what people think on each and every issue. during the recently fought presidential elections there every possible news channel was giving a day to day state of the popularity rating of the two main contenders.
the polls reflected the public opinion which is imperative for the working of democracy. the government nor the opposition can ignore the opinion of the masses. one example, in the indian context, would be the varun gandhi hate speech and the way it molded pubic opinion across the country. in the post poll analysis, the bjp acknowledged the role of varun's speech in the big drop in the support for the party in urban india among the educated.
if the media is allowed to mature and perfect the art and craft of conducting credible opinion polls, it would be a big comfort for indian democracy. for instance, the opinion poll on the budget would be extermely worthwhile to the fm in reallocating the funds. by banning we are encouraging the gap between the rulers and the ruled and that is not good for anyone. the governement ought to have a hand on the pulse of the nation if it really means what it says- inclusive growth.
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