03-26-2007, 11:35 AM
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>Rise in prices puts Cong in a quagmire </b>
Sidharth Mishra | New Delhi
It's advantage BJP in MCD poll
The Pioneer-PMS Survey
Delhi has for long been considered as a barometer of the national political mood. Poll results of the Capital have on most of occasions reflected the national trend. Sheila Dikshit leading the Congress to victory in Assembly elections in 1998 and 2003 being the only exceptions. The MCD poll scheduled for April 5 too would reflect the nation's mood. This mood is just not in the context of the seats going to be won or lost by political parties but the issues which are dominating the voters' mind.Â
A survey conducted jointly by The Pioneer and The Pioneer Media School (PMS) across 96 of the 272 wards in the city by 32 teams over three days covering a sample size of 6,000 voters shows that inflation more than the issues of sealing and corruption is dominating the minds of the voters. In fact, we could say that it endorses the point made by Congress president Sonia Gandhi at the meeting of the Congress Parliamentary Party that price rise was largely responsible for the defeat of her party in Punjab and Uttarakhand.
Of the people surveyed, which included 10 different economic and education groups, 70 per cent said that price rise was the main poll issue. Demolition came second with 20 per cent. Civic issues like power and water supply hardly found any takers as poll issue. However, people were concerned over corruption among local councillors.
But what should concern Sonia Gandhi more is the indictment of her Government's policy of minority appeasement. In an interesting finding, 53.5 per cent of the people disagree with the proposition that "BJP is a communal party raising issues and matters of only caste and community." What should be more worrying for the Congress is the finding that 54.33 per cent of people surveyed find no truth in the proposition that "Congress is a true secular party never encouraging caste and communal politics."
Does that mean a total sweep by the BJP in the upcoming poll? A word of caution here for the managers of the saffron brigade. Like Uttarakhand, despite a clear edge for the BJP, the end result could still see a close contest. This is reflected in the findings of two different questions: 62 per cent of the people surveyed felt there was a wave in favour of the BJP and just 30 per cent backing the Congress. However, nearly an equal number (60 per cent) of people said that social standing of the candidates mattered more to them than the political party they belonged to.
With increase in the number of seats in the MCD, the number of actual voters in several wards has come down to as low as 24,000. With this development, a candidate polling in the vicinity of 8,000 to 10,000 votes is likely to win the election comfortably. In such a situation, a candidate's individual popularity in the area could carry more weight than the influence of the party. This gives some hope to the Congress, which is otherwise being seen to be totally out of running.
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Sidharth Mishra | New Delhi
It's advantage BJP in MCD poll
The Pioneer-PMS Survey
Delhi has for long been considered as a barometer of the national political mood. Poll results of the Capital have on most of occasions reflected the national trend. Sheila Dikshit leading the Congress to victory in Assembly elections in 1998 and 2003 being the only exceptions. The MCD poll scheduled for April 5 too would reflect the nation's mood. This mood is just not in the context of the seats going to be won or lost by political parties but the issues which are dominating the voters' mind.Â
A survey conducted jointly by The Pioneer and The Pioneer Media School (PMS) across 96 of the 272 wards in the city by 32 teams over three days covering a sample size of 6,000 voters shows that inflation more than the issues of sealing and corruption is dominating the minds of the voters. In fact, we could say that it endorses the point made by Congress president Sonia Gandhi at the meeting of the Congress Parliamentary Party that price rise was largely responsible for the defeat of her party in Punjab and Uttarakhand.
Of the people surveyed, which included 10 different economic and education groups, 70 per cent said that price rise was the main poll issue. Demolition came second with 20 per cent. Civic issues like power and water supply hardly found any takers as poll issue. However, people were concerned over corruption among local councillors.
But what should concern Sonia Gandhi more is the indictment of her Government's policy of minority appeasement. In an interesting finding, 53.5 per cent of the people disagree with the proposition that "BJP is a communal party raising issues and matters of only caste and community." What should be more worrying for the Congress is the finding that 54.33 per cent of people surveyed find no truth in the proposition that "Congress is a true secular party never encouraging caste and communal politics."
Does that mean a total sweep by the BJP in the upcoming poll? A word of caution here for the managers of the saffron brigade. Like Uttarakhand, despite a clear edge for the BJP, the end result could still see a close contest. This is reflected in the findings of two different questions: 62 per cent of the people surveyed felt there was a wave in favour of the BJP and just 30 per cent backing the Congress. However, nearly an equal number (60 per cent) of people said that social standing of the candidates mattered more to them than the political party they belonged to.
With increase in the number of seats in the MCD, the number of actual voters in several wards has come down to as low as 24,000. With this development, a candidate polling in the vicinity of 8,000 to 10,000 votes is likely to win the election comfortably. In such a situation, a candidate's individual popularity in the area could carry more weight than the influence of the party. This gives some hope to the Congress, which is otherwise being seen to be totally out of running.
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