Voters in Gujarat gave topmost consideration to caste and religion while exercising their franchise, according to a mid-term survey carried out by Association For Democratic Reforms. The report comes at a time when the state is all set to go to polls in two phases on December 9 and 14.
“People in Gujarat gave most importance to the caste/religion of the candidate, followed by the PM/CM candidate from the party and then the party of the candidate. The candidate was given the least importance before voting,” the report said.
On a scale of 10, caste and religion got 8.27 score while merit of the candidate got just 4.8. The figures are part of the nation-wide survey that was undertaken in April, this year. Gujarat portion of the report was released in Ahmedabad on Monday. A sample size of 500 respondents was taken from each of the 26 Lok Sabha constituencies in the state.
The report claimed that 60.5 per cent of voters were aware that candidates were distributing 'gifts' during election. But only 28 per cent knew that such 'gifts' for votes were illegal. Over 73 per cent of voters said that they should not vote for seriously tainted candidates. On a question on why people vote for those with serious criminal records, 72.68 per cent people cited caste and religion. While 79.6 per cent voters claimed the cases were not serious, 70.21 per cent pointed out the good work done by the candidate.
At a time when the state has been witnessing agitations over alleged rise in unemployment, the ADR survey revealed that better employment opportunities, better public transport and empowerment of women topped the list of 10 top issues in the state.
In the expectations of the issues as perceived by the voters on the scale of 10, better employment opportunities topped with 8.72, followed by better public transport with 7.65 and empowerment of women with 7.60.
According to Pankti Jog of Mahati Adhikal Gujarat Pahel, which is part of the ADR, in the rural areas better employment opportunities topped the list with 8.61, followed by prize realisation for farm products with 8.58 and better public transport with 7.58. In the urban areas, better employment opportunities topped the list with 8.92, followed by facility for pedestrians and cyclists on roads with 8.54 and empowerment of women with 7.84.
The survey, according to Jog, reflected that these were the basic questions and that the voters were not asking for “heaven”. These are basic issues and thus raises questions on current programmes and how these are implemented.
Asked whether the survey exposed the 'hollow' claims of the state government, Jog said that the ADR was apolitical and moreover the survey was not meant to find that.
Based on the findings, the members felt that these issues should be dealt with by the political parties in their manifestos.
Meanwhile, in a first in the state, the Mahiti Adhikar Gujarat Pahel, an NGO, has set up a Gujarat Election Watch Helpline (08320609853) to redress the grievances of the voters. The MAGP will also appoint citizen journalists from social service organisations, who will volunteer and keep watch on elections speeches and even things that are prohibited as per the guidelines of the Election Commission.
