Jobs, healthcare, drinking water top priorities for Gujarat voters

Ahmedabad: Better employment opportunity, drinking water and better healthcare services top the list of voters’ priorities in Gujarat, a survey done by Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) shows.

ADR conducted a survey across 543 Lok Sabha constituencies in the country and polled 2,73,487 for their opinions.  The report pertaining to Gujarat covered approximately 13,000 respondents across the 26 Lok Sabha constituencies in the state.

In response to a question on which issue mattered most, 42.68 per cent said better employment.  Another 37.12 per cent gave priority to drinking water and 30.23 per cent to better healthcare. Urban and rural voters have different priorities. In rural Gujarat, 46 per cent voters said that availability of water for agriculture is their top priority and 45 per cent said that they need agricultural loans.

According to the survey, 44 per cent of respondents said that agricultural subsidy for seeds and fertilisers mattered most. Higher price for agricultural products was also an issue for rural voters where they believe that the government’s work is not satisfactory in these areas.

While for urban voters, the top most priorities were traffic congestion (49%), noise pollution (47%) and better employment opportunities (45%). Urban voters feel that the government has performed poorly in healthcare and drinking water services.

The survey also analysed voting behaviour patterns to identify the factors that influence voting. Accord-ing to the report, 42 per cent voters said that the prime ministerial candidate was the most significant factor for them while the candidate’s party and the candidate come after that in second and third place.

Interestingly, for 20 per cent voters, distribution of cash and, in a dry state, liquor, was an important factor. Caste and religion were also a factor in voting for 36 per cent voters. In spite of various awareness campaigns, only 42 per cent voters were aware that they could get a candidate’s criminal record information now.

However, while 98 per cent voters felt that candidates with criminal record shouldn’t be in the parliament or assembly, 38 per cent felt that people won’t mind voting for such candidates because otherwise they do good work!

“The main observation from this survey is: why are political leaders and parties not giving importance to these issues?” asked Pankti Jog who is associated with ADR and National Election Watch in Gujarat.  

Rural voters, she said, have raised issues related to agriculture and water and the state has witnessed agitations on these issues in the past. “So, the question is why these issues are not being discussed during the elections by political parties? Why these issues are being neglected?”