Political Parties and Perception of Voters in Haryana Assembly Elections

Elections are of great importance for democracies like India, where the chosen representatives link the citizens with the government. Political behavior of voters has been explained by various socio-economic and psychological models. Bandwagon effect, underdog effect, and various other psychological correlates contributes in voting choice. Apart from this, there are various socio-economic and demographic reasons that may have a significant impact in making a reasoned voting choice. The present study is aimed at evaluating the influences in elections and the voter's perception of political parties and leaders. The present study was done on 900 respondents selected randomly from different constituencies of Haryana, with equal number of males and females. Results indicate that influence of family or parents is significant in decision making towards voting for a particular party or candidate. However, benefits in terms of economic gains and voting appeal on the basis of religious and communal statements was denied by the respondents. The awareness of voters about political environment was moderate and the impact of personality and communication skills of the political leaders was also considered as a determinant of voting choice. Some influences like parental advice in voting are positive in nature for rational decision making in voting related matters, whereas some other influences like voting for financial gains should be avoided for the effective management of democratic status of a nation.