Surveys: how fair they are?

courtesy mysay.in

Questions are being raised on banning of pre poll surveys after expose of fudging the data in favour of any party in lieu of bribe. But is banning survey would this problem. Will it remove the other malpractices employed by political parties to win the elections? Corruption is so rampant in our society that banning surveys alone would not yield fair election. When large section of voters are happy to vote a candidate or party just by receiving few freebies like booze and few hundred rupees before the Election Day how one could expect that mere ban would bring honest and clean MLA/ MPs to assemblies/ parliament..

Now a day winning an Election is not as simple as in the days of Maurya and
Gupta’s period where genesis of Panchayti Raj system (or democracy) could be traced.
Shrewd politician have evolved a new management science for winning elections. It encompasses all types of propaganda, freebies, goons and even buying of pre/post poll alliance partner party or independent MLA/MPs. These all requires a lot of money so they indulged in corrupt practices after getting victory or say even to fight elections.  Favourable Surveys play only a small part in this newly developed Indian science.

Most importantly, surveys were always not proved correct even if we take expose of sting operation correct and presume that some agency had fudged the data in favour of any particular party. Just see back in your memory lane and try to recall results shown by media houses and various pollster agencies few months back. Baring one or two no one was nearing the number which Aam Aadmi Party had achieved in Delhi assembly election. However in other stats, results shown by them came nearly true. Simply survey methodologies used by Indian pollsters are not up to mark which could predict the correct outcome in results of elections. Surveys only create ripples in the poll river which could be turned into a wave and them into storms by electorates. I agree with those who are advocating ban that these fudged survey blow wind in favour of winning or upper hand parties among voters but with riders. Surely wind swing some confused voters towards parties which were painted as upper hand in survey results but these voters are very meager.

"Shrewd politician have evolved a new management science for winning elections. It encompasses all types of propaganda, freebies, goons and even buying of pre/post poll alliance partner party or independent MLA/MPs"

courtesy:exitopionpollindia

In conclusion, banning of surveys is not justifiable because of some bad fish. In democracy pondering on political parties, candidate and their performance is a must. It gives impetus to democracy. Instead of banning of surveys we could consider to set a regulator body under the aegis of Election Commission which consists of experts from the field. Expert could visit and revisit to the results published by media houses and poll survey agencies to verify the veracity of results and to find out any mal practices and collusions between the political parties, media houses and agency. Indeed with a provisions of sever punishment for the errant parties.