The political atmosphere during the Telangana Assembly elections was marked by accusations from the Congress and the BJP against the BRS government. The K. Chandrashekar Rao-led government was alleged to be involved in corruption throughout its tenure. The findings of the CSDS-Lokniti post-poll study indicate that corruption emerged as a prominent source of dissatisfaction for the voters.
Approximately half the voters in the State felt that corruption had increased over the past five years. Only about a quarter believed that there was a decrease in corruption. Two in 10 voters felt that there was no change in corruption in the last five years (Table 1). Public discontent can also be gleaned from the fact that the issue of corruption was ranked as the second most unacceptable action of the BRS government. One in 10 voters identified this issue as a significant concern.
When voters were specifically questioned about their opinions on the Rao government in Telangana and the Modi government at the Centre, a significant majority levelled a charge of corruption against both the governments. Seven of every 10 (70%) voters perceived corruption within the State government (they said it was either very corrupt or somewhat corrupt), while the corresponding figure for the Central government was lower at 61% (Table 2).
This shared perception of corruption regarding both the Rao-led government in Telangana and the BJP-led government at the Centre could have played a crucial role in benefiting the Congress. This sentiment is reflected in the electors’ vote choices as well. Nearly half (46%) of those who believed that corruption had increased voted in favour of the Congress. In contrast, the BRS and the BJP secured a distant second and third place as the choices for these voters (Table 3). For those voters who believed that corruption had decreased, the BRS emerged as the preferred choice.
Additionally, the Congress was perceived as making the most efforts to reduce corruption. In response to a separate question about which party had done the most to combat corruption, one-third (33%) of the respondents mentioned the Congress, with a little over one-fourth (29%) mentioning the BRS. The BJP was reported by one-sixth of the voters (16%) (Table 4).
The data show that corruption had an impact on voter choices. The perception of corruption in the BRS and BJP governments, coupled with the attribution of anti-corruption efforts to the Congress, played a significant role in shaping voters’ preferences towards Congress.
