Investor Presentaiton
Pakistan Social Sciences Review (PSSR)
April-June, 2022 Volume 6, Issue 2
It is being observed that voting behavior in Punjab varies in different geographic
regions. The main variance exists between the urban and the rural areas. The rural
population of Punjab is 68.7 percent and the urban population accounts for 31.3
percent (Pakistan Bureau of Statistics).Political party affiliation, party manifesto, the
general performance of the political party in governance, and family relationships are
some main features that people living in the urban and city centers of Punjab adhere
to caste vote for the candidate whereas the rural centers mainly adhere to the local
grouping, the influence of land-owned elites, Biradari and clan affiliation, and mostly
the popular political party at the time of election campaign. In this context, the
following questions were asked by the respondents related to the pattern of urban-
rural voting behavior.
Table 1
Do you think that voting patterns in rural and urban areas are different in
Punjab?
Cumulative
Frequency
Percent Valid Percent
Percent
Agree
Disagree
68
78.2
78.2
78.2
12
13.8
13.8
92.0
Valid
Don't Know
7
8.0
8.0
100.0
Total
87
100.0
100.0
In this perspective, 78.2 percent of the respondents agreed that urban-rural
voting patterns are different in Punjab. The above results complement the existing
literature on urban-rural voting patterns in Punjab. It is being observed that kinship,
caste, and local political culture are the predominant factors that define the voting
patterns in villages (Bakht, 2019, pp. 192-202). Besides this, another contemporary
factor that influences urban-rural voting behavior is the element of electronic and
social media. It has increased the level of awareness and participation both in urban
and rural areas.
Political Groupings and Personality
Political grouping (Dharra) and personality is another predominant feature in
constituency politics. Though local grouping and constituency-based political
dynamics have not been much space within the academic discussions, it has been one
of the most important aspect of electoral politics. Every constituency has its
indigenous distinct features, level of political participation, election and political
rivalries. In this context, the majority of the people accounting for 78.2 percent of the
population as per the survey agreed with the role and impact of local groupings in
constituency politics. Local group dynamics revolve around traditional family ties,
rivalries, caste, biradari and powerful influence in the area. Therefore, local allegiance
tends to be a decisive factor in most of the constituencies of Punjab.
In addition, the personality profile of the candidate itself is an important factor
in the electoral dynamics of Punjab. Several personality approaches to political
behavior explain that personality traits and values of the candidates, their belief
system, political ideology, social and moral standing along with leadership ability,
competence and experience all shape up the political preferences of the
voters (Vecchione, 2013). In this perspective, Alan S. Gerber has explained a
comprehensive relationship between political participation and personality traits. He
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