Political strategist Prashant Kishor’s Indian Political Action Committee (I-PAC), which has been roped in by the State’s principal opposition party to help shape its campaign for the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections next year, drew the suspicion of the locals here after it set out on a survey posing a range of questions from age to one’s voter preference in the ensuing polls.
Political strategist Prashant Kishor
Vellore:
One caller named Priya informed the respondent that she needed replies to ten questions for a project she was doing in political science at the law college. Enquiries reportedly revealed that law colleges do not have political science as a subject and that it was rather a subject in arts institutions.
Questions included the respondents’ age, whether he/she lived in an urban or rural area, his/her constituency – both Assembly and Parliament, whom the person voted for in the 2019 polls and whom the person would vote for in the ensuing elections.
When one respondent demanded to know whether she was part of the I-PAC, the girl reportedly replied in the affirmative. Another caller, a male, also identified himself as a law student doing a project and requested answers to the same set of questions. When the respondent demanded to know why he sought information as to whom he would vote for in the next polls, the caller reportedly gave no reply. When the respondent further asked details of how many were surveyed and what the average response till date was, the caller who also refused to give his mobile number hung up.
It may be recalled that the DMK had earlier last month announced signing on I-PAC in a bid to win the 2021 State Assembly polls following the group’s success in bringing political parties to power in north India. At least four respondents were contacted over phone by people who identified themselves as students of Ambedkar law college in Chennai undertaking a survey as part of their class project.
One caller named Priya informed the respondent that she needed replies to ten questions for a project she was doing in political science at the law college. Enquiries reportedly revealed that law colleges do not have political science as a subject and that it was rather a subject in arts institutions.
Questions included the respondents’ age, whether he/she lived in an urban or rural area, his/her constituency – both Assembly and Parliament, whom the person voted for in the 2019 polls and whom the person would vote for in the ensuing elections.
When one respondent demanded to know whether she was part of the I-PAC, the girl reportedly replied in the affirmative. Another caller, a male, also identified himself as a law student doing a project and requested answers to the same set of questions. When the respondent demanded to know why he sought information as to whom he would vote for in the next polls, the caller reportedly gave no reply. When the respondent further asked details of how many were surveyed and what the average response till date was, the caller who also refused to give his mobile number hung up.