In the current scenario, if Tamil Nadu has an election today, around 43 per cent of the people would vote for the AIADMK, 26 per cent for the DMK and 9 per cent for the BJP, according to a State-wide opinion poll.
“People in Tamil Nadu are very sympathetic towards her [AIADMK general secretary Jayalalithaa]. In fact, they feel the State is not performing well in her absence,” Rajanayagam, Director of ‘People Studies’, said here on Saturday, releasing the findings of the poll conducted by the organisation
The poll also showed that people were attracted towards the BJP though there was no Narendra Modi wave in the State. “The BJP is making inroads in the State and is emerging as the third largest party. The innovative schemes and the timely action on the fishermen issue have made it more visible.”
The poll also had a question on administration and performance of the State. Around 58 per cent of the respondents said the administration was good during Ms. Jayalalitha’s stint. Only six per cent said it was poor. In the case of the Chief Minister, O. Panneerselvam, 35 per cent said his administration was poor. “People feel that administration is not up to the mark, and Mr. Panneerselvam needs to be empowered. Administration in the State is slackening is what they feel,” Mr. Rajanayagam said.
Asked about actors aspiring to be politicians, he said only 17 per cent felt that Rajinikath would start a party, while 21 per cent felt Vijay would also float a party. “During interaction, people said they preferred seeing the two stars on screen than in the political theatre.”
The poll was conducted in all 39 Lok Sabha constituencies with a sample size of around 3,320 people aged between 20 and 60, he said.