Majority voters opposed to poll boycott calls

GUWAHATI, August 23: A majority of the electorate in the Guwahati Lok Sabha constituency are opposed to the poll boycott calls given by insurgent outfits. They have decided to cast their votes despite the boycott calls. According to an opinion poll conducted last week by the students of the Institute of Mass Communication and Media here, an overwhelming 87 per cent of the respondents said they will cast their votes this time with 77 per cent saying that poll boycott calls are not justified. Among the six per cent respondents who said they will not cast their votes, it was not fear but the "bad past experience" that was cited as the reason. Political stability is a must for development, said 86 per cent of the respondents. While 48 per cent were unsure whether the next Lok Sabha would last its full term, 38 per cent said that it will. About 47 per cent of the people polled said that they will vote according to the party while another 28 per cent said they will vote for the individual. Asked about what qualities they will look for in their MP, 25 per cent said they want someone who will work for the state, 20 per cent each said they will look for efficiency and honesty, 18 per cent said they want someone whose voice will be heard in Parliament and 17 per cent promised they will go for the personality of the candidate. Again, 24 per cent of the respondents said they want unemployment problem to be highlighted in the Lok Sabha immediately. Insurgency, infiltration, floods and lack of infrastructure were the other issues that figured prominently in the list of priorities. Of the 544 respondents, 75 per cent belonged to the urban areas, 79 per cent of them being males. An overwhelming 63 per cent of the respondents were in the 18 to 35 age bracket with 20 per cent being between 35 and 45. Among the people surveyed were students (13 per cent), government employees (20 per cent), private service (15 per cent), self-employed (22 per cent), businessmen (15 per cent), professionals (3 per cent), farmers (1 per cent), daily wage earners (3 per cent) and housewives (6 per cent). 54 per cent of respondents had post-matric or graduate qualifications. 17 per cent were post-gradates and above.