Indian parties demand ban on opinion poll

The request was made as political leaders from six national and 45 regional parties met with India's autonomous Election Commission for talks on election practices for the national polls that begin April 20 and end May 10.

"There was a unanimous demand by all political parties (for a) ban on opinion polls from the first day of (election) notification," said Kapil Sibal, spokesman for the main opposition Congress party.

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"These are not opinion polls but opinion-making polls," Sibal said. "There was total consensus on this issue."

Political parties believe exit polls in constituencies that have already voted could influence balloting in regions where the electoral process is yet to begin.

Both exit and opinion polls have proved to be wildly inaccurate in three parliamentary elections conducted in Indian since 1996.

Commission officials said the poll watchdog was "strongly" in favor of a ban.

At least nine opinion polls conducted by television stations and newspapers since March 27 have put India's ruling Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ahead of the Congress.

Tuesday's meeting also focused on whether the BJP's use of advertisements attacking the Italian origins of Congress president Sonia Gandhi was in breach of new election laws banning campaigns deemed "slanderous".

The BJP said it was also upset over a commercial that accused Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee, 79, of collaborating with the British during colonial rule.