Chouhan a better performer than Manmohan, says CNN-IBN survey

Despite the Congress-led United Progress Alliance at the Centre rolling out populist schemes like the Food Security Act and direct cash transfers to beneficiaries of government schemes, there seems to be little hope for the party in Madhya Pradesh. The state votes for a new Assembly on 25 November and on 8 December it will be known whether Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan will repeat his 2008 mandate. [caption id=“attachment_1199067” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan. PTI[/caption] As per a pre-poll survey jointly conducted by Lokniti and Centre for the Study of Developing Societies (CSDS) in Madhya Pradesh for CNN-IBN and The Week, there is no anti-incumbency mood in the state. In fact, people are much more critical of the poor performance of the government at the Centre than that in the state. Of the 2,870 people interviewed between 13 October and 20 October in 140 locations across 35 constituencies, 72 percent were appreciative of the performance of the state government while 58 percent praised the Centre. In terms of dissatisfaction, 24 percent of the respondents were unhappy with the Centre while a mere 13 percent expressed reservations against the Chouhan government.  What might disturb the Congress camp is the popularity of the incumbent chief minister in comparison to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. While 79 percent are satisfied with the performance of Chouhan, only 59 percent think similarly about Singh. The disapproval rating incase of the prime minister is high - 23 percent, while it is only 11 percent in case of the Madhya Pradesh chief minister. Even while voting, 26 percent of the sample is likely to base their choice of candidates on work done by the state government, and 18 percent will keep the Centre’s achievements in mind while pressing the button on the Electronic Voting Machines. The ratings for the BJP legislators are also higher than their Congress counterparts. The BJP MLAs got the support of 72 percent of the sample while 64 percent of the Congress MLAs were preferred by the respondents. What worked for Chouhan seems to be the vast improvement in basic amenities for the people across the state in the last five years. The unique selling proposition for the BJP-led state government is the development of roads and improvement in power supply. While 65 percent of the sample is pleased with the improvement in the power scenario, 63 percent are happy with the development of roads. Scheme like the Ladli Laxmi Yojana also won the Chouhan government some favourable support. Among the people, who participated in the survey, 59 percent claimed to have benefitted from the scheme while 34 percent denied of being benefitted.  But there are some key areas as well where the state government failed to satisfy the electorate. The condition of the farmers and deteriorating public transport system in the state poses a challenge to the state government. Among the respondents, 35 percent were not happy with the plight of the farmers while 34 percent criticised the public transport system. The rise in hunger and malnutrition was noted by 36 percent of the sample size but it was contested by another 33 percent who said it has decreased during the last five years. Increase in prices of essential commodities is almost a unanimously agreed upon phenomenon. In the survey it was found that a whooping 83 percent shared the same sentiment on spiralling prices. Low employment opportunities have also become a thorn for the Chouhan-led govenment and might disorient the youths of the state. Giving some respite to the Madhya Pradesh government on the graft front, 30 percent blame the Centre while 14 percent hold the state responsible for the wrongdoings. Interestingly, 38 percent feel both the state and the Centre share equal responsibility in this regard.