(CHAKRA) The 2014 Indian National elections are around the corner and many people are wondering what makes a person vote for the BJP vs. the INC vs. AAP. Over the last 50 years the INC (Indian National Congress) party has been the 800-lb gorilla with the BJP (Bharatya Janata Party) always trailing behind. In 2013, a 3rd national party has emerged called AAP, led by Arvind Kejriwal which has seized the opportunity of open votes lost by the Congress party’s accused involvement in recent government corruption scams.
The Chakra team surveyed 243 eligible voters equally distributed across 10 states (Delhi, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Bihar, West Bengal, Himanchal Pradesh) to find out some deeper insight on what kind of criteria is helping them make a decision at the ballot. It should be noted that we required all respondents to choose either BJP, AAP, Congress or ‘None’ with reasoning behind their choice.
BJP Voters
Out of the 243 voters, 143 or 59% said they would vote for the Bharatiya Janata Party. When asked why they chose the BJP, the top 3 summarized reasons were:
1. Corruption-Free and Trusted Leaders : All BJP supporters unanimously answered that Narendra Modi and other top leaders such as Goa CM Manohar Parrikar, Madhya Pradesh CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan had a top record of fighting corruption as well being corruption-free themselves.
2. Strong Record of Rural Development, Urban Economic Growth and Jobs: Respondents were confident that villages in BJP-governed states have prospered over the years with new jobs and infrastructure. Also, many urban cities in BJP-governed states have seen a surge in jobs and jump in middle-class prosperity.
3. One Nation, 1 Vote and Cultural Preservation: Many youth have broken the lines of caste and local communities; seeing India as a single united Nation and don’t want a political party that tries to get votes based on bribing specific communities or castes that vote in a single block. The other major reason was cultural preservation via protection as many individuals said they felt that Indian culture (including Hinduism, Sikhism and Buddhism) were under attack by groups outside of India and the current government was letting their sensitivities be stomped on without any effort to defend them.
The Lotus (BJP) vs The Hand (Congress) vs The Broom (AAP)
Congress Voters
Out of the 243 voters, 30 or 12% said they would vote for the Indian National Congress party. When asked why they chose the INC, the top 3 summarized reasons were:
1. Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi were Born Leaders: Congress supporters were staunch in declaring that Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi were party of a ‘holy’ or dynasty family that deserved to lead modern India.
2. Parents and Grandparents Always Voted for Congress: Respondents that said they would vote for Congress unanimously mentioned in their surveys that they would vote for Rahul Gandhi led Indian National Congress since their parents and grandparents always voted for the party and Gandhi family.
3. Promises of Free Food and Increased Reservations: Many Congress voters suggested they like the Congress party due to offers of free rice, wheat. The youth were more interested in the increase of reservation plans offered by the Congress that would allow them to get guaranteed spots in top colleges regardless their grades & merit.
AAP Voters
Out of the 243 voters, 58 or 24% said they would vote for the Aam Aadmi Party. When asked why they chose AAP, the top 3 summarized reasons were:
1. Fed up with the Congress Govt and Want Transparency, Corruption-Free Govt: AAP supporters made it clear in their comments that they were fed up with the Sonia Gandhi-led government and trusted Arvind Kejriwal to clean up the mess full of corruption and scams left by the Congress (UPA) leaders and ministers.
2. They Want to Give a New Political Party a Chance: Many respondents were confident they have seen what the Congress party is capable of already and feel they have a sense of what the BJP is capable of. Therefore, they want to give Arvind Kejriwal’s new political party a chance as they see it as promising in the fight against corruption and fraud.
3. Arvind Kejriwal’s History is Trustworthy: Some AAP voters mentioned that they felt Mr. Kejriwal’s IIT-education played a role in his prospect of running a successful and clean government. Some also mentioned that his motivation to enter politics was to fight corruption with Anna Hazare and that they feel he will keep that promise.
None of the Above
Out of 243 voters, 12 or 5% said they would not vote for either BJP, Congress or Aam Aadmi Party. When asked why they didn’t choose any of the 3 main national parties, the top reasons were:
1. They Vote for Local State Political Party
2. National Parties Ignore Smaller Communities
3. They Don’t Know Much About the National 3 Parties