BANGALORE: Despite various hiccups, including charges of corruption in high places, the coalition government headed by Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy has found support from a substantial number of respondents in The Hindu -CNN-IBN survey conducted by the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies (CSDS) in Karnataka.

More than half of the respondents (57 per cent) were either somewhat satisfied or fully satisfied with the performance of the Government.

The Karnataka segment of the study, which was coordinated by Sandeep Shastri, political analyst and director of the International Academy for Creative Teaching, Bangalore, revealed that 30 per cent of the respondents were fully dissatisfied or somewhat dissatisfied with the performance of the JD(S)-BJP government.

Interestingly, more than half of the respondents (56 per cent) were satisfied with the performance of the Chief Minister. Again around one-third (30 per cent) of the respondents were unhappy with his performance. "There appeared to be a direct co-relation between people's evaluation of the Government and the Chief Minister," Dr. Shastri said.

More than 75 per cent of the respondents were from rural areas, 12 per cent lived in small towns (less than one lakh population) and 13 per cent lived in larger cities and metropolitan areas. Nearly 17 per cent of those interviewed were Dalits, 11 per cent were Muslims and more than 60 per cent were from the non-dominant backward castes. Nearly 50 per cent of the sample consisted of those aged below 35.

When respondents were asked as to whom would they prefer as Chief Minister, there was more or less equal support for Mr. Kumaraswamy, Deputy Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa, the former Chief Minister N. Dharam Singh and Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee president M. Mallikarjun Kharge. All the four secured the support of around 10 to 12 per cent of the respondents.

Surprisingly, more than 20 per cent of respondents were in favour of the leadership of the former Chief Minister S.M. Krishna, who is now Governor of Maharashtra. The remaining respondents preferred other candidates.

When asked whether they would like to give the present ruling parties another chance to rule, more than 56 per cent were not in favour and a little over one-fourth felt that they would give a second chance to the present coalition.

Nineteen per cent of the respondents preferred not to voice their opinion.

Dr. Shastri argued that the "political mood of the State" appeared quite clear from the survey. They were willing to give some more time to the present coalition to survive and maybe perform.

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