When voters in Uttar Pradesh were asked to state what was the most important voting issue for them while voting, nearly two-fifths of respondents said it was development (Table 1).
The data further indicates that for 12%, the removal of the current government was the determining factor in their vote. An almost equal proportion described the functioning of the government as an important issue.
The BJP was relying on the beneficiaries of government schemes and the data also highlights that many families benefited from these schemes but these schemes were not the top priority for the voters. The Ram temple issue, which was believed to set the electoral narrative in the state, found no resonance, with only 2% calling it a voting issue.
We must highlight here, except development, other issues were also important, but did not find a place when asked in an open question as the single most important voting issue. However, when indicated with alternatives, many of these issues were cited as significant influencing vote choice.
When offered specific options, the choices of all the issues that voters read one by one, followed by inflation and growth (74% each) and then unemployment (71%) became important issues (Table 2).
The issue of stray animals, which became a major topic of discussion during the campaign, was important for 60%.
Four out of 10 voters reported the construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya as an important issue, especially read.
Populist promises like free electricity to farmers, jobs, smart phones and laptops to farmers when voted to power did not attract any traction, and half the voters considered these promises not significant in influencing their vote choice. The impact of the farmers’ agitation and the Lakhimpur Kheri incident were not reported as important voting issues to the extent that one had expected.
‘Vikas’ made a big difference: BJP garnered 57 per cent of the votes, for whom development was the biggest voting issue, the SP+ was able to attract a quarter (26 per cent) of such voters. Clearly, voters expected that BJP was the only party that could bring development in the state. The BJP also got seven out of 10 votes, for whom the functioning of the government was an election issue.
The opposition, which focused on specific issues such as unemployment, failed to attract voters, while the abstract promise of development garnered more votes for the BJP.
Vibha Atri is a Research Associate at Lokniti-CSDS, Delhi and Sudhir Khare teaches Political Science at DAV College, Azamgarh, UP.