Electricity, roads and water were rated positively by voters, but not health and education
Electricity, roads and water were rated positively by voters, but not health and education
Even though the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) returned to power in Uttarakhand with an easy victory, voters’ assessment of its rule was mixed and less vigorous. In the post-CSDS-Lokniti survey in the state, voters were asked to rate the work done on key governance parameters such as roads, electricity, water supply, health and education. While the government was seen as demonstrative in the first three, it was on health and education issues that people were more likely to be critical.
When asked whether the condition of roads in the state has improved in the last five years of the BJP government, three-five voters replied in the affirmative. Their assessment of drinking water supply and electricity supply was even better, with nearly three-quarters reporting improvement. However, voters in Kumaon hills were less affected by all three parameters, especially by roads, as compared to voters in Garhwal Hills and Maidan region. However, they were also more likely to believe that things got better rather than worse.
However, when it came to assessing the condition of government schools and government hospitals, there was almost unanimous consensus across sectors and more people said the situation had worsened. Farmers were also more likely to see their situation as worsening rather than improving. Interestingly, this pattern electricity, road And Water (electricity, road and water) is being rated positive and Education (Education), Health Lokniti in its survey in the neighboring state of Uttar Pradesh had rated (good health) and the condition of farmers negatively.
Like Uttar Pradesh, in Uttarakhand, seven out of every 10 respondents (69%) were more likely to feel that crime such as theft, rape and murder has decreased in their region. They were also more likely to feel a reduction in caste and religious tensions in their area (62% and 64%, respectively). The Muslims, however, were not approving especially on the issue of communal harmony. Nearly half (48%) of them reported an increase in religious tension in their area. This assumes significance in the context of hate speeches and calls for violence by several Hindu religious leaders at a ‘Dharma Sansad’ held in Haridwar in December 2021, just two months before the elections. Clearly, the experiences and perceptions of Hindus and Muslims regarding communal enmity were markedly different in Uttarakhand.
More than four-fifths of Uttarakhand felt that inflation and unemployment had risen in their region. Yet, this sentiment was not Uttarakhand-specific and was found in all other states as well. Corruption was also seen on the rise, but this sentiment was also seen in all the states.
Shreyas Sardesai is with Lokniti-CSDS; Rakesh Negi, Assistant Professor, Department of Political Science, Hemvati Nandan Bahuguna Garhwal University, Srinagar, Uttarakhand