What counts for the MP voter in Maoist zone and outside

A study by Election Commission has found that religion is the main reason for left-wing extremism affected areas to decide their votes.

When it comes to casting votes,religion apparently plays a more decisive role in areas affected by left-wing extremism than in those not affected by it.

This is what emerges from a survey commissioned by the Election Commission and conducted by the Directorate of Economics and Statistics,Madhya Pradesh,in all 230 constituencies,including those in the 10 districts affected by left-wing extremism. The study covered 22,926 voters.

While most voters in both LWE-affected and non-LWE-affected areas chose candidate as the main factor 78.9 per cent and 79.5 per cent respectively,their replies on religion differed more widely. In LWE-affected areas,5.6 per cent voters said religion was the main factor that decided their votes; in non-LWE-affected areas,only 3.8 per cent voters cited religion as the main reason.

When it came to caste,there was not much to separate the two groups: 4.3 per cent in LWE-affected areas and 4 per cent voters in other areas.

The survey also came up with the conclusion that though a good candidate ensures a higher turnout,as opined by a majority of voters,muscle power,money power and both money and muscle power,too,were very much on display.

At 8.1 per cent,money power worked much more in LWE-affected areas than at 6.5 per cent in unaffected areas. Muscle power worked less in LWE-affected areas 1.3 per cent than in unaffected areas 2.1. Combined,muscle and money power worked more 12.6 in non-LWE areas than in affected areas 10.2 in ensuring a high turnout.

The survey,called Baseline Survey of Knowledge,Attitude,Behaviour,Belief and Practices KABBP of Madhya Pradesh was carried out in May-June. The results became public only recently. Activist Ajay Dubey,who used RTI to get the report,says he had been denied it initially on the ground that it was confidential.

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According to Dubey,the most worrying aspect of the survey was that as many as 56.1 per cent voters in LWE-affected areas had no knowledge of the campaigns run by the Election Commission. In non-LWE-affected areas,44.7 per cent voters said they had no knowledge of the campaigns.

Also,most people were unaware about campaigns involving icons and celebrities. In LWE-affected areas,64.5 per cent voters said they had not come across such awareness campaigns.

Interestingly,at 81.3 per cent,voters in LWE-affected areas turned out in higher numbers than in non-LWE-affected areas where 80.5 per cent voted in the last assembly and general elections. Apathy as a reason for not voting weighed more in unaffected areas 27.8 than in LWE-affected areas 24.7. Similarly,more voters in non-LWE-affected areas 11.8 per cent than in affected areas 10.5 per cent cited anger as the reason.

However,the overall experience of a majority of voters was good and some very good about the last elections. As many as 11.3 per cent voters in LWE-affected areas replied very good to the 10.9 per cent in areas not affected.