The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Vidyasagar Rao opposes exit polls

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Apr 27, 2004

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Vidyasagar Rao opposes exit polls

By Our Staff Reporter

KARIMNAGAR, APRIL 26. The Union Minister of State for Commerce and Industry, Ch. Vidyasagar Rao, has opined that psephologists should restrain from announcing their pre-poll and exit poll results till the completion of the election process.

Addressing a press conference here on Monday, he said that the pre-poll and exit polls by various organisations were creating confusion among the people as well as political parties and said that all the parties should evolve a consensus to ensure that pre-poll and exit polls are announced only after the elections.

The Minister said several voters possessing voter identity cards could not exercise their franchise as their names were deleted from the voters lists.

Exuding confidence that the TDP-BJP combine would retain power in the State, he said that people have experienced the Congress government's rule after the 1989 elections where leaders fought among themselves for the Chief Minister's post. He also found fault with the Congress for asking people not to pay their power bills and criticised the party for not disclosing its stand on tackling Left wing extremism in the State.

Earlier, the Union Minister visited the hailstorm affected villages in Choppadandi mandal. He said that he would hold a meeting with the officials and ensure sanctioning of houses under IAY scheme to the affected families.

He said that he would be campaigning for the party in Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Jammu and Kashmir. The BJP district president, P Sugunakar Rao, the town president, Ravinder Singh, and others were present.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Andhra Pradesh