ABP-CVoter Opinion Poll: The assembly election bugle has sounded in Karnataka as the Election Commission of India (ECI) announced on Wednesday, March 29, that elections will be held in the state on May 10, and the counting of votes will take place on May 13. Congress, JDS, BJP and other political parties are in high gear as the last state assembly elections brought a fractured mandate and the post-poll alliance saw Congress retaining power with the help of JDS as a partner. This was later overturned, leading to several defections and then by-elections, which resulted in the BJP regaining power.
As another election to the Karnataka Legislative Assembly draws near, ABP News in association with CVoter conducted an opinion poll this time to gauge the public mood. Several questions were asked to thousands of respondents to understand the ground situation in Karnataka.
Read in details | 3 CMs, 3 floor tests and ‘Operation Lotus’: What changed in 5 years of BJP rule in Karnataka
Here are the answers to some of the questions asked in the ABP-CVoter Karnataka Opinion Poll 2023.
Q. How do you rate the performance of the present BJP state government?
One. Around 50.5% respondents to the ABP-CVoter survey gave a ‘poor’ rating to the current BJP government led by Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, while 27.7% respondents felt that the BJP government could be rated ‘good’. Rest 21.8% gave it an ‘Average’ rating.
> What is the most important issue for you at the moment?
One. The respondents chose unemployment as the most important current issue in Karnataka. Around 29.1% respondents feel that unemployment is the main issue ahead of the upcoming Karnataka assembly elections 2023. Civic issues such as the condition of electricity, water and roads in the state are listed as the second main issue with 21.5% of the respondents. Saying so The state of education facilities is also a major issue as 19% respondents made it the third biggest issue ahead of the state elections, while 12.7% respondents to the ABP-CVoter survey feel that the current government has a handle on corruption.
Only 1.2% respondents feel that national issues such as CAA, NRC or NPR matter ahead of the upcoming Karnataka elections, while only 2.9% are concerned about issues such as the law and order situation or women’s safety.
The Covid-induced pandemic factor is an issue for only 4% of the respondents, while issues related to farmers or agriculture matter to 3.5% of the respondents.
> Are you angry with the BJP-led state government and want to change it?
One. According to ABP News-CVoter Karnataka Opinion Poll 2023, the present BJP government is not in favor of the people. 57.1% respondents said they are angry and want to change the government, while 25.8% respondents said they are angry with the government. BJP government but does not want to change it. Only 17.1% of voters said they are not angry with the government and do not want it to change.
Q. Which of these factors do you think will significantly influence the upcoming assembly elections in Karnataka?
One. Respondents to the ABP-CVoter opinion poll feel that polarization and minority status for Lingayats will continue to be big factors that could influence the Karnataka assembly elections. Over 30.8% of respondents feel that issues like minority status for Lingayats and the hijab controversy are the biggest factors in the elections, followed by religious polarization at 24.8%. The Cauvery water dispute is also a big factor according to respondents, with 14.6% believing it to be a factor in the upcoming elections, and 13.3% of respondents feeling the performance of the current state government to be a major factor.
The issue of nationalism and identity politics is a factor in 6.8% and the recent cases of serial killings are a factor in 6.1% of ABP-CVoter respondents.
The Aam Aadmi Party, which is contesting the 2023 Karnataka Assembly elections, is on the radar of only 3.5% of respondents as a factor influencing voting.
[Disclaimer: The present opinion poll/ survey was conducted by CVoter from February 26 to March 26. The methodology used is CATI interviews of adult (18+) respondents with random numbers drawn from standard RDD and the sample size for the same is 24,759 across Karnataka. The same is also expected to have a margin of error of ±3 to ±5% and may not necessarily have factored in all criteria.]
