JOIN USEvery political party is a winner in its own survey
Political parties often brush aside results of opinion polls, but some leaders are using such pre-poll surveys conducted by various agencies and channels in their campaigns ahead of the Delhi assembly polls.
The probable candidates have put up posters and banners containing findings of these surveys to win votes. The Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party is making use of the findings of a self-conducted survey.
Supporters of Pawan Sharma, wishing to contest from Uttam Nagar constituency on a BJP ticket has put up posters and banners containing figures of an opinion poll conducted by a regional channel, which shows him leading in his constituency by 8,000 votes.
Similarly, posters and banners of the AAP are all over Delhi claiming that Kejriwal is the first choice for the Chief Minister’s post and the party has emerged as the first choice of people in the Capital as they want a ‘change’.
This new-found tool of election campaigning, however, has been termed by some political observers as a reflection of the `disconnect’ between the parties and and the electorate.
“Most of the political parties are facing a crisis of credibility. In order to bridge the prevailing trust deficit, they are trying to compensate it with findings of the opinion polls, whic may at time be fictitious and questionable,” said Anand Pradhan, Associate Professor, Jawaharlal Nehru University.
Since most politicians and parties, experts say, have lost their personal connection with their voters, they are using all kinds of media to reach out to them ahead of the election.
“The opinion polls are used to have a bandwagon effect on the floating votes. If any survey shows a lead for any candidate or a party, such numbers are used to convert the mind of the floating voters in their favour,” said Pradhan.