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Journalism of Courage
Gujarat has certainly been at the forefront of India’s growth story. The state has recorded a growth in per capita income of over 262 per cent in the last decade and has witnessed an exceptional 12.6 per cent growth in the agricultural sector.
But the question is, what do voters in Gujarat think about the growth story? The CNN-IBN/Indian Express/Divya Bhaskar pre-poll survey conducted by CSDS reveals that public opinion is divided on how broad-based the development has been. While 34 per cent people feel that the economic policies of the BJP government have brought prosperity for all, 37 per cent believe that only the rich have benefited. Another 15 per cent feel that no one has benefited. This clearly indicates that the economic growth story is not going well with majority of the voters in the state. This is not to say people are writing off the growth story as a myth, but a large proportion seems to be buying the view that this growth has a bias.
A reading of the data reveals that the rich and upper middle class voters believe that everyone has prospered. Majority of the rich believe so; only one-fourth see the bias. Though the upper middle classes are relatively more divided, 40 per cent feel prosperity has been uniform, while 36 per cent feel that only the rich have benefited. On the other hand, over 40 per cent of lower middle class and poor voters feel that only the rich have benefited. Less than one-fourth of the poor believe that prosperity has benefited all. A substantial 16 per cent believe that no one has benefited from the economic policies of the government.
Interestingly, 38 per cent voters in the Saurashtra, a region from where the Chief Minister is facing opposition from within his own party, feel that the state government’s economic policies have benefited all.
The big question is whether opinion on this question will have an impact on the voting preferences of people? The answer is a clear yes, and the survey reveals that 77 per cent of those who believe that the economic policies of the BJP government in Gujarat brought prosperity for everyone in the state reported that they will vote for the BJP in the forthcoming election, while only 12 per cent of them will vote for the Congress.
