Exit polls best for entertainment channels: SY Quraishi

NEW DELHI: Amid a flurry of exit polls predicting the outcome of assembly elections ahead of the March 6 results, Chief Election Commissioner S Y Quraishi on Sunday said such surveys should at best be on entertainment channels.

"Opinion and exit polls should at best be on entertainment channels!," Quraishi tweeted this afternoon, taking a dig at the surveys.

The reaction of the CEC, who made his Twitter debut on February 29, came as television channels were busy predicting government formations and possible political fallouts of the current assembly elections in the five states of Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur since the exercise ended yesterday.

The Election Commission had banned exit polls till March 3, till the completion of assembly elections in the five states.

Quraishi brushed aside criticism of the poll body on the notices and action taken against some ministers during the high voltage campaign, saying it was part of the game and the EC has taken it in its stride.

He, however, expressed anguish at people accusing the EC of "bias."

"It hurts when people accuse me of bias," he said here today.

The CEC had earlier refused to comment on speculation about election results and possible political alliances, saying, "when elections end, politics starts.

"Our job is to conduct free and fair polls. And, we have done our job pretty well," he said.