Disenchantment rising but Modi still peoples first choice: Survey

Disenchantment with the Narendra Modi government is rising, but Modi is still the peoples first choice for Prime Minister and the BJP-led coalition will comfortably form the government if the Lok Sabha elections were held now, a survey has revealed.

According to the Mood of the Nation (MOTN) survey conducted by ABP News-Lokniti-CSDS, the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) will bounce back to power with 301 seats and a 34 per cent vote share, though the Congress-led UPA is projected to double its tally compared to the 2014 elections.

Unemployment and lack of jobs is currently the biggest reason for dissatisfaction among the public, the survey found.

The survey found that in the event of a snap Lok Sabha election in the country today, the BJP-led NDA may get a total of 293-309 seats. This is about 30 seats less than what the NDA won in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections. The UPA is expected to bag 122-132 seats.

In 2014 the BJP alone won 282 seats leading the NDA which in total captured 336 seats. If the NDA loses 30 seats out of the 336 it won in the 2014 elections, it means the BJP alone may finish short of the majority mark of 272.

In the 2014 Lok Sabha elections the UPA could only reach a figure of 59 with the Congress winning 44 seats out of it. Clearly the UPA seems to double it's seat share in the Lok Sabha if the polls were held today.

The BJP may secure about 34 per cent votes while the Congress is expected to secure 25 per cent votes if a national election takes place now.

The survey found that Prime Minister Modi's personal popularity has declined by seven per cent since the first round of the survey was done in May last year, although Modi continues to be the most popular leader by far.

Modi's biggest challenge at the moment seems to be coming from Congress President Rahul Gandhi whose popularity has gone up sharply across the country.

Voters' preference for Rahul Gandhi as the country's next Prime Minister has more than doubled in the last eight months - from 9 per cent to 20 per cent, the survey found.

--IANS

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