150 assembly, 27 LS seats for Congress

Express News Service
First Published : 08 Apr 2009 03:43:00 AM IST
Last Updated : 08 Apr 2009 01:12:12 PM IST

HYDERABAD: A pre-poll survey by HMTV, a Telugu news channel, predicts 135 to 150 Assembly seats for the Congress. The survey gave 90 to 100 Assembly seats to the Grand Alliance (TDP-TRS-CPM-CPI combine), between 40 and 50 seats to the Praja Rajyam Party (PRP) and 12 to 16 seats to others.

As far as Lok Sabha seats were concerned, the survey predicted that the Congress would stand first in the State by getting 27 seats followed by 12 seats bagged by the Grand Alliance. The PRP would get two Lok Sabha seats and the MIM one, the survey predicted. The survey titled `Theerpu-2009’’ was conducted under the supervision of renowned social scientist Prof Haragopal for HMTV of Hyderabad Media House Limited.

Of the 294 Assembly segments in the State, which are going for polls in two phases on April 16 and 23, the survey was conducted in 279. The survey covered as many as 5,480 people from different walks of life and strata of society.

When the surveyors asked voters to indicate their choice for the Chief Minister’s post, 41 per cent voted for Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy followed by 29.5 per cent for Opposition leader N Chandrababu Naidu and 19.8 per cent for Chiranjeevi.

However, in the Greater Hyderabad limits, 40 per cent wanted to see Chandrababu Naidu as the Chief Minister.

Rajasekhara Reddy emerged the number one in all other areas -- Rayalaseema, Krishna and the twin Godavari districts. However, Naidu was in the third place in Krishna and the twin Godavari districts where 44.9 per cent respondents wanted to see Rajasekhara Reddy again as the Chief Minister followed by 26.1 per cent who wanted to see Chiranjeevi take up the top job, while 19.6 per cent chose the TDP supremo.

Forty per cent opined that the Congress would win the elections, 26 per cent felt that the Grand Alliance would come to power and 16 per cent hoped that the PRP would come to power. However, the PRP got the highest votes in Krishna and the twin Godavari districts, where 22.9 per cent felt that the PRP would win the elections.

On the performance of the State Government, 12.4 per cent rated it very good, 24.1 per cent good and 31.5 per cent not bad. Only 18.3 per cent rated the performance as bad and 7.6 per cent rated it worst.

In all, only 30 per cent supported the Grand Alliance and 64 per cent opposed it. A majority of 75.7 per cent opposed the Grand Alliance in Krishna and the twin Godavari districts. The Grand Alliance got the highest support in South Andhra districts where 36.8 per cent supported it while it got the lowest support in Krishna and the twin Godavari districts with 17.6 per cent.

Rising prices were the main concern of 44.2 per cent respondents, while 18.5 per cent were worried about the corruption in the Congress rule.

Interestingly, 60 per cent voters did not believe in Chiranjeevi’s promises, while 62.2 per cent in North Telangana did not buy the BJP’s slogan of separate Telangana in 100 days.