Do you think Lagadapati Rajagopal’s election survey has any scientific basis?

Industrialist and former politician Lagadapati Rajgopal has released a survey that claims that Congress-led People’s Front will come to power in Telangana. We sought to know people’s opinion. Respondents are unanimous in their opinion that Lagagadapti’s survey does not have scientific basis.

Some of them dubbed it as bogus. Most of them said he is always biased against TRS because he opposed formation of Telangana. Only one respondent felt that the survey has scientific basis. Some others felt that the pre-poll survey and exit polls are all bogus. There could be some nexus between those conducting surveys and politicians and that factor may reflect in them. 

I don’t think former MP Lagadapati Rajagopal’s election survey has any scientific basis. He is  doing surveys to create confusion. Once again, caretaker Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao will form the government. The political tourists like N Chandrabau Naidu and Lagadapati Rajagopal are expected to beat a hasty retreat when results are out on December 11. - M Sanjay, driver, Adilabad

Former MP Lagadapati Rajagopal is playing a mind game by making public fake surveys, Lagadapati is trying to mislead the people with fraudulent surveys. Telangana people will not believe his surveys. Every survey report has been predicting TRS victory in the forthcoming elections by winning 94 to 104 seats. The poorer sections of society are very much happy with the TRS government. - G Mahesh, Adilabad 

I don’t believe in surveys and exit polls, because different people can pose different questions and may use different methodologies to gauge an opinion from the people.  And for me if any survey is conducted by Lagadapati Rajagopal, I am sure his own opinion and opinions of likeminded people whose thoughts and attitudes sync with Rajagopal may have been given more priority.  So I feel Lagadapati’s survey’s will definitely be favouring his thoughts and interests and sync with his opinions more rather than the general public. I am not sure if Lagadapati’s election surveys has any scientific basis and definitely his predictions may be far from ground realities, I feel. - Mahesh Babu, Jadcherla

We all know who is Lagadapati Rajagopal. He was the one who had staunchly opposed the formation of Telangana and he even did hunger strike similar to KCR to oppose bifurcation of Telangana. So I feel any survey conducted by his organization or any allied organisation linking with him will definitely be against TRS party and its chief K. Chandrasekhara Rao, so do not believe the survey conducted by him. And moreover I feel there is no scientific backing to rely on the survey reports released by Lagadapati Rajagopal.  - Anil, private employee, Mahbubnagar

I don’t think that Lagadapati Rajagopal's election survey has any scientific basis. For last so many years he has been doing surveys and releasing them through the media. In Nadhyala byelection also he first said there was a clear edge for YSRCP.  But after few days he said the political scenario was changing with rapid speed and it was a tough between YSRCP and TDP. Why I am recalling this episode is to highlight the fact that he would deliberately try to manipulate the people’s opinion. Earlier, he said the TRS had an edge over others. But, after formation of People’s Front, he said the Front has the advantage. I do not think the voters would  change their preference basing on opinion polls.  - B Venkatesh,  law student, Amberpet 

I am not sure whether Lagadapati Rajagopal’s election survey has any scientific basis. In fact, no election survey is being conducted scientifically. The surveys do not seem to be covering wide range of opinion. Voters are very intelligent, and they never reveal whom they prefer to vote. There could be nexus between some organisations or heads of those organisations which conduct pre-poll surveys. The same is the case with Lagadapati’s election survey. - Ch Vamshi krishna, engineering student, ECIL

I think Congress MP Lagadapati Rajagopal’s survey has scientific basis. His surveys in the recent times proved right. He had said eight to ten Independents would win. He claimed that he had got survey conducted in 100 constituencies by taking opinions of 100 people in each segment. - Sangem Rajendher, self- employed, Huzurabad, Karimnagar.