Ranchi: The Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPM) politburo member Sitaram Yechuri today (Apr 23, 2004) slammed the unscientific method in which opinion polls are conducted, saying there was much too wide difference between the polls.

Giving an example, he said that the pollsters began by giving as many as 360 seats to the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) only to gradually climb down to 260 now.

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"The wide variation happened just because the opinion polls are not being carried out scientifically," Yechuri told a press conference in Ranchi.

Saying that such exercises were meant to influence the people before they cast their franchise, the leftist leader observed, "It is a kind of cheating the people. But the people will not be swayed by such opinion or exit polls. They have already decided whom to vote."