Update | Occupy leaders may still poll protesters on future of movement, Benny Tai reveals after 11th-hour U-turn

Occupy Central organisers may yet hold a poll on the future direction of the movement and volunteers are leading "chat groups" at protest sites to collect the views of demonstrators on the streets, Occupy co-founder Benny Tai revealed today.

Speaking on RTHK's Talkabout programme this morning, Tai admitted to making a mistake in trying to run a ballot for Occupy protesters, which was due to be launched yesterday evening, “in haste”.

Just hours before the launch of the electronic ballot the plug was pulled. The decision followed complaints by protesters that the leaders had not sufficiently discussed with demonstrators the poll's methodology or objectives. Shelving, they said, did not however mean the occupation would end, Federation of Students secretary general Alex Chow Yong-kang said.

This morning Benny Tai unveiled a change of direction in an attempt at appeasing the protesters and said lessons had been learned.

"We have started these chat groups,” Tai said. “Many volunteers are now collecting protesters’ views in the occupation zones to see how the movement should move forward.”