Modi Still on Top but Congress Has Hope: Survey

An India Today survey shows that PM Modi still enjoys considerable popularity, but the Congress is gaining ground.

The India Today group, in partnership with Cicero, has conducted a nationwide poll to measure the ‘Mood of the Nation.’

Conducted 10 months after the BJP swept to power with a massive mandate, the survey shows that PM Modi still enjoys considerable support across the nation.

The Congress does have hope as well, with many respondents saying it could revive by the next General Elections.

Here are some of the key findings from the poll.

Governance and Economy

A significant 29% of the people surveyed think that the economy has not gotten any better and conditions are unlikely to improve in the next 6 months. However, 36% do believe the economic conditions are better than they were under the UPA.

The government’s approval rating is still excellent, with a whopping 69% saying that it had met or exceeded expectations.

Rahul has Hope, Priyanka Would be Better

Can the nearly decimated Congress revive? And which Gandhi scion should be the one to lead the charge?

Yes, the Congress has reason to be optimistic – 48% believe that the Congress can revive by the next General Election, and 46% believe that Rahul Gandhi is up to the job. In fact, 20% believe that Rahul should be the PM candidate.

But unfortunately for Rahul, a whopping 45% think Priyanka should replace him.

Still, given their abysmal loss last year, these numbers should encourage the Congress. Clearly the active role they have been playing in the Opposition for the last few weeks has helped them gain some lost ground.

Modi an Independent, Effective Leader

While 52% of the country believes Modi stands for Development, only 16% believe that Modi represents Hindu Nationalism. Given the series of Church attacks in the last few months, this is certainly good news from the PM.

While 36% do believe he is controlled by the RSS, 39% believe he is completely independent.

The PM is also on relatively safe ground when it comes to his foreign visits, an issue raked up by the Opposition at various points in the last 10 months. About 44% of the 12,000 respondents felt he should go on more trips, while 39% feel it’s time he stayed home more.

So while Modi may not enjoy the same kind of popularity he did during the elections, 10 months on, he’s still on top. In fact, 30% of respondents think he is the best PM India has ever had.

Elections Today?

So what if the General Elections were held today? Would the Modi magic work just as well as it did last year?

The survey finds that the BJP would lose about 27 seats and the chief beneficiary of their loss would be the Congress, who would go up marginally from 44 to 53 seats.

To make up for this, the government should focus on price rise. According to 27% of respondents, price rise should be Modi’s primary concern. Only 3% thought the Ram Temple in Ayodhya deserves the government’s attention.