Employment a major issue for 62% Madhya Pradesh voters: Survey

BHOPAL

: Employment would be the biggest issue with the 5.14 crore voters in the

Lok Sabha

polls in

Madhya Pradesh

, a survey by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) has revealed. The survey shows that for 61.91% voters in MP, including rural areas, better employment opportunities matter more than issues related to agriculture, corruption or terrorism.

"A total of 61.91% voters in rural and urban MP consider better employment opportunities as the biggest election issue," ADR state coordinator Rolly Shivhare said, adding, that the corresponding figure nationwide was 46.80%.

Giving a break-up, she said better employment avenues was the primary concern for 70% of MP's urban population and 59% of rural voters.

The second priority for 39.19% MP voters was remunerative prices for farm produce, while the third concern for 32.69% electors was better healthcare by way of more hospitals and primary health centres, the ADR functionary said.

In the rural areas, 56% voters wanted higher prices for farm produce while 40% spoke of the need for electricity for agricultural purposes, the survey showed. However, in MP's urban areas, 45% of the electorate's second priority was better hospitals and primary health care centres, while 41% put their third priority as better law and order, Shivhare added.

The survey was conducted between October 2018 and December 2018, covering 534 Lok Sabha constituencies with 2,73,487 voters from several age groups participating, she said. "The three main objectives of this survey were to identify voters' priorities on specific governance issues, their rating of the government's performance on those issues and factors affecting voting behaviour," she added.

ADR was established in 1999 by a group of professors from the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Ahmedabad. It analyses the backgrounds of candidates contesting elections in order to help the electorate make an informed choice. PTI