In the run-up to the Karnataka Assembly Elections, Eedina.com conducted a pre-election survey to gauge the shift in voter preference. The survey was conducted in all assembly constituencies across the state, covering 183 constituencies so far, with work still continuing in some more, including 28 constituencies in Bengaluru.
More details about the survey methodology can be found here.
Here are some important insights from the survey:
Issues faced by voters:
The survey asked respondents to pick two issues that would matter to them the most while deciding who to vote for. Corruption, price rise, and unemployment are the three main issues that are going to influence the 2023 assembly elections in Karnataka, with each receiving an overall amount of 68% votes, 47% and 34% votes respectively. Women’s security(13%), drinking water and electricity(13%), health and education(12%), and crime, violence and atrocities(10%) were identified as other issues of concern for voters.
Corruption was found to be an issue affecting supporters of all political parties as 73% Congress voters, 61% BJP voters and 66% JDS voters chose corruption as one of the issues affecting them.
Price rise remains an important issue and affects the poor the most. The survey found that the lower-middle(45%), poor(51%) and very poor(50%) classes were most concerned about price rise. Women(50%) were also found to be marginally more sensitive to the issue of price rise than men.
Unemployment was identified as major problem in Karnataka, despite the fact that the state’s unemployment rate is lower than the national average. The survey found that the educated groups expressed more concern about unemployment then uneducated groups, with graduates(42%) and post-graduates(43%) expressing most concern about the issue. The youth were also more likely to identify unemployment as a problem, with 47% of those between 18-25 years of age and 42% of those between 26-35 years of age choosing unemployment as their one of their main causes of concern.
Corruption:
The survey also found that the Bommai government has earned the reputation of being the most corrupt government among the last four governments witnessed by the state, with 36% naming the Bommai government as the most corrupt. 14% of respondents said the most corrupt government was led by BS Yediyurappa, 13% said so for the government led by Siddaramaiah, and 8% said so for the Kumaraswami government. The remaining 29% either said that all governments were corrupt or none of them were corrupt. Interestingly, among those who named the Bommai government as the most corrupt, 20% were BJP supporters.
On being asked who amongst the above four is the most incompetent chief minister, 45% of those who responded named Basavaraj Bommai as the most incompetent chief minister.Â
Schemes:
The survey found that the number of people who have benefited from the central government’s schemes is low, with only 21% of those who responded having benefited from the PM Kisan Yojana, 21% from Ayushman Bharat, and 23% from Ujwala Gas Yojana.
The survey further revealed that even among those who could have been beneficiaries of these schemes, the number of actual beneficiaries is very small. For instance, only 33% of farmers claimed to have benefited from the PM Kisan scheme.
The survey also showed that voters have been unable to name any state government schemes that the BJP government has initiated. Only a dismal 0.01% of those who responded could name at least one scheme of the state government. 18% named central government schemes when asked about state government schemes. 2.3% named state government schemes that were implemented during the Congress government’s terms.
While the Congress has announced four big ‘guarantees’ relating to schemes such as the Grihalakshmi Guarantee Scheme or the Griha Jyoti Yojana, the survey indicates that about one third of voters, particularly the targeted voters, haven’t even heard of those announcements. Moreover, half of those who are aware of the promises do not have confidence that Congress will fulfill them, making it difficult for the party to convince their plausible voter.
Read also: Karnataka: Farmers Release Charter Of Demands Ahead Of Assembly Elections
