Economic issues may not come to the fore this election, given the economy going along a middling path and inflation moderating, but there remain strong undercurrents concerning the day-to-day lives of the people, Editor-in-Chief of The Hindu N. Ravi said here on Saturday.
Usually, economic issues are in the forefront when elections are held in the backdrop of times of hardship and unemployment, Mr. Ravi said, addressing students of the Madras School of Economics (MSE). The undercurrents pertain to “bread and butter issues.”
Voters are concerned about inflation and want jobs, particularly well-paying jobs, and a sense of well-being, he said speaking on economy and electoral issues at a conclave organised as part of Arthiki ’14, the annual college festival of MSE. He also released ‘Athena’, the college magazine.
Apart from the undercurrents, which though were not overwhelming, factors that would influence the voters’ decision were the record of governments, both at the Centre and States, and the role played by the opposition. With the manifestoes of major national parties, except the Left, more or less similar on economic issues, it is broad orientation of the parties that matter more to voters.
Besides inflation, measures proposed to push industry, “awaken the animal spirit” in it and achieve more would be pivotal in the elections. Regional issues, he replied to a query from a student, were also likely to hold centrestage.
Earlier, in a session on ‘politics and economics’ R. Kannan, former principal adviser to RBI, said issues that would matter to the people were efforts to contain corruption at all levels. Senior journalist Ashok Malik, who is Australia India Institute-ORF Chair for Indo-Pacific Studies, highlighted the significance of consistency in policies and greater transparency while dealing with public resources.
