PM Modi is still a popular prime minister in his second term, according to the IANS-CVoter ‘State of the Nation’ survey which shows that 62.3 percent of the respondents said that they are ‘very much satisfied’ with PM Modi.
The survey further shows that non-BJP CMs were rated better than their BJP counterparts, with Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal scoring high. The IANS-CVoter survey was conducted over the last 12 weeks among 30,240 respondents and across 543 Lok Sabha constituencies in all states.
Here’s a look at the major takeaways from the ‘State of the Nation’ survey.
1. PM Modi’s Popularity High
The popularity of PM Modi’s term as prime minister endures with 62.3 percent of respondents saying that they are ‘very much satisfied’ with him in the position. Additionally, 20.8 percent of the respondents said that they are ‘satisfied to some extent’ and 16.8 percent said they are ‘not at all satisfied’.
Interestingly, PM Modi's above 60 percent approval ratings do not translate to that of his government. When asked about satisfaction levels with the current government led by BJP, only 56.4 percent of the respondents replied in the affirmative.
2. Non-BJP CMs More Popular Than BJP CMs, Especially Kejriwal
When it comes to the report card of chief ministers in India, non-BJP CMs have fared much better than BJP CMs. For instance, in West Bengal, 67.2 percent of the respondents said that they are very much satisfied with Trinamool Congress’ Mamata Banerjee as the chief minister. In Odisha, Biju Janata Dal’s Naveen Patnaik garnered support of 61.9 percent of the respondents. Andhra Pradesh CM Jagan Mohan Reddy also was rated highly by the state’s residents, with 50.3 percent of the respondents saying that they are ‘very much satisfied’ with his term as CM.
In contrast, in BJP-ruled states, the popularity of the CMs was below 40 percent. In Uttar Pradesh, 39.1 percent of the respondents said that they are ‘very much satisfied’ with CM Yogi Adityanath and in Gujarat, CM Vijay Rupani's work fully satisfied only 34 percent of the respondents.
The survey results heralded some good news for Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal. Out of the total respondents in the state, 58.8 percent said that they are ‘very much satisfied’ with CM Kejriwal's term, while 16.6 percent said that they are ‘not at all satisfied’.
3. BJP’s Rise in States Like West Bengal & Telangana
The survey shows that BJP has made gains in two states – West Bengal and Telangana. In West Bengal, according to the survey, BJP has overtaken TMC in the vote share, with BJP polling 40.5 percent of the votes and TMC polling 36.3 percent. This is in contrast to the results in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, when despite a rise in number of seats for the BJP, TMC got 43.28 percent of the vote share while BJP got 40.25 percent.
In Telangana, the BJP also made gains. According to the IANS-CVoter ‘State of the Nation’ survey, BJP polled 33.2 percent of the vote share. Compare this with BJP's showing in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, where the party got 19.45 percent. This rise in vote share is also reflected in number of seats. If general elections were to be conducted today, according to the survey, BJP would win seven out of 17 seats in the state. On the other hand, both the vote share and the number of seats for TRS have dropped from 2019, with the party polling 34.5 percent of votes and winning eight seats in the state.
4. If Elections Conducted Today: NDA Wins 330 Seats, Congress 130
According to the survey, if Lok Sabha elections were to be conducted today, BJP-led NDA would secure 330 seats out of 543. UPA on the other hand, would win 130 seats across India.
5. Unemployment Is the Biggest Issue
Out of 14 issues polled in the IANS-CVoter survey, unemployment was the biggest issue with 17.1 percent of the total respondents saying it is the ‘most important problem’ faced by the country at present. 11.7 percent of the respondents said family income and poverty are the most pressing issues in India, and the need for facilities like electricity, road and water being polled at 11 percent.
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