That development, price rise and employment will be the overriding voter concerns in the 2014 election — as the >opinion poll conducted by the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies for CNN-IBN and The Hindu shows — does not come as a surprise. All that the UPA government has done all these years is to stay in power. It has failed on all major fronts. Essential commodities, fuel and transport are going out of the common man’s reach. The government’s bad handling of the rupee has added to people’s woes.
P. Senthil Saravana Durai,
Vazhavallan
The finding that corruption is low on people’s priority may not be correct. The unprecedented upsurge at Jantar Mantar and Ramlila Maidan on the Jan Lokpal Bill and women’s safety underline the fact that the common man is equally concerned about corruption, policy paralysis, and deteriorating law and order. There is, however, no doubt that the Indian economy is a shambles. Economic mismanagement has led to lopsided growth, consumer inflation, consistent decline in growth rate, etc., and will be an important poll issue.
Ettirankandath Krishnadas,
Palakkad
The most significant thing about pre- and post-poll surveys is that they place issues like price rise, employment and corruption before people. That helps voters select a party or candidate.
As political parties hide the true picture from people and try to mislead them, opinion surveys help a lot. Parties get enough opportunities to engage in propaganda before the elections. But citizens find a forum of expression only in media-sponsored opinion polls.
P.R.V. Raja,
Pandalam
