How HT got the issues right

As many as 47 sitting MLAs who emerged winners after Monday’s vote counting averaged a rating of 5.4 on a scale of 10 in a Hindustan Times survey conducted ahead of the polls, reports HT Research Bureau. The winners: Know your new MLAs | How They Had Fared in HT-Cfore Survey

There is nothing like doing your job, and doing it well in public life. That's what the verdict on elections to Delhi’s legislature tells us.

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As many as 47 sitting MLAs who emerged winners after Monday’s vote counting averaged a rating of 5.4 on a scale of 10 in a Hindustan Times survey conducted ahead of the polls. The ratings ranged from a low of 3.8 — for Prahlad Singh Sawhney of Chandni Chowk — to a high of 6.9. The later was the rating for Chief Minister Shiela Dikshit and Barkha Singh. Both of them won.

The performance-driven choice applied to victories on both sides. For instance, Harsharan Singh Balli of the BJP, who retained the Hari Nagar seat with a huge margin, had got a rating of 6.65 in the HT-Cfore survey, while Vijay Singh Lochav of Congress, whose rating was a poor 3.78, lost.

The survey covered more than 36,000 respondents from 69 constituencies. Analysts had thought the elections could be hugely influenced by what had happened in Mumbai and that local issues would be brushed aside. However, none of that happened.

As an HT analysis of the survey results published before the polls had shown, Delhi cared most for issues relating to development and were concerned about rising pollution, lack of parking facilities and traffic chaos, etc..