Precampaign Strategy and Voter Perception Analyzing the Impact of Uniform Civil Code in Tripura

Abstract

This research examines the impact of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP’s) promotion of the precampaign electoral promise to implement a Uniform Civil Code (UCC), which is a contentious issue, prior to the commencement of the 2024 Lok Sabha election. The study has been conducted specifically on the populace of the northeastern state of Tripura since the implementation of UCC can be troublesome, given the existence of the Sixth Schedule in the region. Precampaign promotion of electoral promises is an understudied aspect in the realm of electoral studies. The study utilized a proportionate stratified random sampling technique to collect data from 500 respondents via a survey instrument from the northeastern state of Tripura. The analysis, conducted using cross-tabulation
and bivariate and multivariate regression methods in SPSS version 23, revealed that individuals exposed to the media promotion of the UCC exhibited reduced support for the BJP (67 percent) in the upcoming 2024 Lok Sabha election, compared to those not exposed (74 percent). This suggests a significant negative shift of −0.133 points (p = 0.01 < 0.05) in support for the BJP, indicating that the precampaign promotion of the UCC failed to give the party an additional support base, although its existing popularity did not decline altogether. The findings highlight the importance of understanding the impact of precampaign electoral promises and the challenges of promoting contentious policies in the electoral context of India and specifically in the Northeast.