BJP Would Slip Into Minority if Polls Were Held Today: Survey

Modi’s ministers have dented his image but he still remains popular, finds a new exhaustive survey.

“A sluggish pace of economic growth and creating jobs, coupled with episodes of corruption and communal tension, mean Modi might have to watch his step for the remaining term”, observes India Today as a conclusion to their findings in India Today Group-Cicero Mood of the Nation Poll.

The poll took into account responses by 11,820 respondents across 56 locations in 263 Assembly constituencies in 19 states.

Key Findings

• If elections were held today the BJP’s tally would be down to 243 as against the 282 seats they managed in the elections last year.
• 38 per cent of respondents rated Modi’s performance as ‘good’, 22 per cent said ‘excellent’ and 11 per cent said they were ‘unhappy’.
• NDA government’s popularity took a “noticeable drop”.
• Modi still comes out as India’s most popular choice for a Prime Minister followed by AAP leader and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi.
• But his popularity as ‘best suited to become the prime minister’ has come down from 57 per cent in August 2014 to only 36 per cent in the latest survey.
• 40 per cent of the respondents believe that Kejriwal is a maverick while 47 per cent want AAP to go national.
• 34 per cent respondents felt that Modi’s ministers have dented his image and 44 per cent felt that Sushma Swaraj and Vasundhra Raje’s role in Lalit Modi issue was ‘incorrect’.
• 48 per cent respondents believe that Congress can bounce back in five years. In August 2014, only 38 per cent voters had said they believed in such resurgence.
• 47 per cent respondents believe that Rahul Gandhi should be the next Congress president and an almost similar percentage feels he can lead its revival.
• 47 per cent of the respondents doubt that the economy is going to improve in the next six months.