Click here to EnlargeThe huge publicity that has accompanied Sonia Gandhi on her short but intensive campaign is having a significant effect on the 1998 campaign.Although most voters either hadn't heard of her or didn't think she mattered, 10 per cent acknowledged that Sonia's campaign has made a difference to the way they will vote. Click here to EnlargeIn all, 5 per cent said that they had switched to Congress because of Sonia. A comparison of the voting intentions of our panel in 1996 reveals that 2 per cent could be shown to have shifted from non-Congress to Congress.This may not sound like much, but a 2 per cent shift to Congress could see them winning more than 20 extra seats, seats that would otherwise have gone to their rivals. This certainly appears to be concrete evidence of a Sonia-inspired swing to Congress.There may be a broader swing, harder to prove, from people who had become disillusioned with the Congress and were intending to vote for another party, but who have rejoined the party camp when the Gandhi connection came to the fore.The impact of the Sonia swing is particularly evident in states where the Congress looks set to make seat gains with only small shifts in votes. In Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and Maharashtra Sonia has had an effect which could result in big seat gains for the Congress. In Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu and Bihar where the Sonia show isn't playing as well, the Congress is a minor player in any case.Published By: AtMigration Published On: Feb 23, 1998--- ENDS ---
