Populist politics will not win us over:Karnataka voters

As part of its in-depth perspective on the Karnataka Elections, NewsX had commissioned an exclusive survey to analyze major issues impacting the Karnataka elections. Conducted in association with the noted psephologist, GVL Narasimha Rao, NewsX-DRS Poll; highlights the key factors impacting the Karnataka elections. Through the survey, NewsX has procured opinions and responses from every district of Karnataka and over 8000 respondents, to gauge the minds of the electorate, as the state readies for the crucial elections. The Karnataka elections will reflect the sentiments of electorate ahead of eight states going to poll and the upcoming general elections.

From key factors like betrayal, stability and price rise in the State to infrastructure and development as major influencers in cities, the NewsX-DRS Poll reveals an interesting aspect of the Karnataka voters. Answering the ‘how’ and ‘why’ and not just the ‘what’ and ‘when’, NewsX has been covering the Karnataka Elections from the perspective of decision makers and global Indians. Anchored by Arup Ghosh and Shireen, the Karnataka elections coverage on NewsX, focuses not only on the politics of Karnataka but also on its impact on neighboring states and Indian economy.        

Following are the salient findings from NewsX – DRS Poll survey:

Populist Poll Promises

The poll reveals an interesting aspect of the Karnataka voters: Majority of voters - as many as 58%, believe that the populist poll promises (like cheap / subsidized rice, free TV sets and free power to farmers) will not draw the voters to any political party. However, the promises made by political parties have been able to get some attention of the electorate.  

In response to the question ‘Which party’s promises have appealed to you most?’ 30% answered in favour of BJP while 33% found promises from Congress most appealing. JD(S) draws attention of 22% respondents while 10% felt that none of the promises were noteworthy. While these promises may not necessarily help in vote gain by the political parties, rice at Rs 2 per kg (29% responses) and free TV sets (19% responses) were found to be most appealing to the respondents.

Politics of Betrayal

The survey brings forth another interesting insight to the Karnataka elections. Majority of the respondents have ranked the sentiment of betrayal as a dominant political theme in the current Karnataka election.  60% of the respondents agree with the BJP’s allegation that the JD(S) has betrayed it. For the dissolution of the assembly, JD(S) is held responsible by 54% respondents. The BJP and Congress get 26% and 13% responses respectively.

Stability

There is no overwhelming view on the stability that the new government will enjoy. The electorate is very uncertain about the kind of government that will be formed after the elections. In response to the question, ‘Will the new government complete its term?’, only 45% were hopeful while 35% were not sure and 19% were non-committal.

Price Rise

With inflation on the rise, soaring prices of essential commodities has become a key issue in the Karnataka elections. As Karnataka is under the central rule, the Congress is being held primarily responsible for the price rise as is reflected in 43% of the responses. Both the BJP and JD(S) share the blame but to a lesser degree at 17% and 26% respectively. 

Development & Infrastructure

In order to give some perspective of the large cities respondents, the survey looked at Bangalore as a representative market.

80% of the respondents felt that Bangalore lacks infrastructure. The major concerns included – Traffic: 46%, water supply: 28% and poor roads: 12%.

Influence of Infrastructure on Voting Pattern

Surprisingly, the infrastructure issues are not likely to have a major influence to the voting patterns of the people. With only 37% respondents feeling that the voting pattern will influence in a big way, as oppose to 44% who think that the influence will be restricted to ‘some extent’ only.

However, with the assembly constituencies in Bangalore being increased to 28 (about 1/8^th of the total seats in the state assembly), it is likely that Bangalore and the concerns of the people in the city will have a greater impact in the Karnataka state election.

Sourced From: CMCG India Pvt. Ltd