Candidates hire survey agencies to ordain fate

Friday, 03/02/2012

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Votes have been polled and the fate of all 1078 contested the Punjab Vidhan Sabha polls is lying sealed in the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), which would be opened only on March 6 but the curiosity among the politicians as well as their supporters is not resting down.

Finding the gap of 36 days to be a very long period to wait, while a number of the candidates are praying to God visiting shrines, some are resorting to astrologers to know their future.

However, there is one more class of politicians in Punjab has emerged, all well-off, which has hired some expert survey agencies to predict their future not on the basis of stars but on the logical grounds.

The basic task of these special agencies, as reported, is to go to minute level and calculate each and every vote with a classification that to whom was it polled on January 30.

Seeking anonymity, an executive director of a survey agency, informed that three candidates of Malwa had engaged his company to find out the results, with a condition to complete the thorough process within a period of ten days.

Divulging details about the modus operandi of calculations, he informed, “We have procured the booth wise details of total votes and the polled votes in the respective constituencies. Being equipped with well-trained team, we will first have a village level survey and then go down to Mohalla level.”

“Further, if the picture remained vague, we will opt to resort to micro level, which means moving street by street. Taking no chance, each street will be divided into two parts-left and right. Then making contacts with persons residing there, our team, which comprises of some females too, will try to ascertain the actual details,” he added.

Replying a query about the credibility of the survey, the official said, “Though we don’t guarantee the sure-shot results, what we can say is that the survey would not only pacify the excitement of the candidates but also make them a view somewhat close to the reality.”

It is pertinent to mention that the Punjab has witnessed above 78 percent polling this time and the higher voter turnout recorded here could be due to enthusiasm among first time voters and increasing awareness among the people of state to exercise their right of franchise.

But finding the stakes too high, the high percentage has not only surprised all the ruling as well as opponents but put them on a task to guess whether it was a signal to anti-incumbency or pro-incumbency factor prevailing in the state.