Report No. 255

Chapter VIII

Opinion Polls

A. Regulation of Opinion Polls in Indi.- A Background

(i) Development of opinion polls in India

8.1. Pre-election opinion polls and exit polls have become a regular feature in the last one and half decades within the Indian electoral landscape. Opinion polls are conducted by polling agencies and disseminated widely by the electronic and print media.318 With the advent of a large number of television channels and newspapers, the race to conduct election surveys and publishing them as quickly as possible has become the norm.319

Opinion polls of large scale samples conducted during the 1980s became important indicators of overall popular issues and sentiments.320 The significance of opinion polls has continued through the 1990s and thereafter. The increase in the number of opinion polls was accompanied by attempts at regulation, which will be looked at in this section.

318. Law Commission of India, Consultation Paper on Media Law' May 2014, at 11,
<http://www.lawcommissionofindia.nic.in/views/Consultation%20paper%20on%20media%20law.doc>

319. Praveen Rai, 'Status of Opinion Polls: Media Gimmick and Political Communication in India', 49(16) Economic and Political Weekly (2014).

320. Noro Kondo, Election Studies in India, Institute of Developing Economies, March 2007, Discussion Paper No. 98
<http://www.ide.go.jp/English/Publish/Download/Dp/pdf/098.pdf>