CHENNAI: It is the party, just a little more than the candidate, that determines the voting pattern in Tamil Nadu, found a recent survey by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) on voting behaviour. An overwhelming 74% of voters back the political party. Of course candidates matter said 71%.
According to ADR’s ‘Tamil Nadu Survey Report – 2018’, 48% of voters feel the party is important, while 26% say it is a very import criteria. When it comes to candidates, 54% said they were important, only 17% said they were very important.

While the overall survey was an all-India exercise, the section on Tamil Nadu said 74% of voters also see the CM candidate as a factor determining their voting behaviour. The state is now facing Lok Sabha elections. Though bypolls for a significant 22 assembly seats are also on, the survey, carried out towards the end of 2018, could not have focused on them.

Political analysts say the results of the survey are on expected lines as far as Tamil Nadu is concerned. “Only very bad candidates attract a different kind of attention. Otherwise, voters generally go by party afiliations in the state. That is also one reason why other national parties, like the BJP, have not been able to grow in Tamil Nadu,” says analyst M Kasinathan.