A survey on Monday predicted a neck-and-neck race between the DMK and AIAMDK alliances, with the ruling DMK having a slight upper hand with just months ahead of the Assembly polls in the State,

The survey which was carried out in 220 taluks of 32 districts of the State by about 900 graduates; found that the DMK would get 42.59 per cent of the total votes polled while the AIADMK would garner 41.5 per cent.

Tamil Nadu Regional Graduates’ Association president K Kanagaraj revealing the findings of the survey said that 2.22 lakh respondents were split into five categories - below poverty line, low income group, middle income group, high income group and creamy layer. The survey found that only 35 per cent of the creamy layer voters and 55 per cent of below poverty line respondents were willing to vote.

In BPL category those who were willing to vote were 52 per cent who favored the DMK alliance, 38 per cent AIADMK alliance, four per cent supported DMDK, while the remaining six per cent opted for other political parties, including the PMK. People in low income group who work in hotels, restaurants, company workers or government workers doing menial jobs out of them 70 per cent were willing to exercise their franchise. Fifty per cent of them favored the DMK alliance, while 36 per cent opted for AIADMK front. Six per cent backed the DMDK and eight per cent indicated their choice for other political parties.

In the middle income group people who work as government servants, teachers and farmers, about 80 per cent were willing to vote. But interestingly, in this section, there was a tilt towards the AIADMK with 45 per cent opting to vote for the Opposition alliance, while 38 per cent favored the DMK.

IN the high income group people who work as Central government employees, IT professionals and entrepreneurs, about 48 per cent favored AIADMK while 36 per cent were with the DMK.

Kanagaraj said, “The reason for the sudden u turn made by middle and high class towards the Opposition is due to the rise in corruption as well as abuse of power by the bureaucracy. Though the government has come out with interesting schemes people were unhappy as they could not benefit from the schemes the survey said”.