BRS popularity down, but seats may go up

Is the popularity of the ruling BRS waning fast ahead of the election in Telangana? Yes, says a latest survey report that tried to capture the mood of the voter. The survey predicts that as of now, there is going to be at least a drop of 7.4 percentage points in the ruling BRS’ popularity in the state. The survey says that the number of undecided votes is pegged at 7.3 percent. This could further rise, the study says.

The study was conducted by the Telangana Intention, survey organisation from August 8 to August 12 in all the 119 assembly constituencies of the state. A sample of 1024 respondents was collected in each constituency. As per the study, there is a significant fall in the popularity of the ruling BRS in the state. The survey has a weekly tracker system to gauge the public mood.

But the survey also points out that the popularity of the Congress has gone down by around 1 percent. In the 2018 assembly elections, the Congress Party got 28.4 per cent votes, while the latest survey says that the vote percentage could be 27.6. The BJP, however, could improve its vote percentage from 7.1 percent to 14.8 percent. But, it will still remain in the third position.

However, this fall in TRS popularity may still not affect its vote tally. As the difference between the BRS and the Congress is a good 12 percent. Further, the anti-BRS vote will be split between the Congress and the BJP. As a result, despite the fallen popularity, the BRS might get as many seats as it had got last time.