However, Adityanath is seventh when it comes to a ranking of chief ministers based on the assessment of people in their own states – a list that Tamil Nadu’s new chief minister M.K. Stalin is leading with 42% of votes. Ahead of Adityanath is Odisha’s Naveen Patnaik, Kerala’s Pinarayi Vijayan, Maharashtra’s Uddhav Thackeray, Bengal’s Mamata Banerjee, and Assam’s Himanta Biswa Sarma. Himanta and Adityanath are the only two Bharatiya Janata Party chief ministers in the top 10. However, the finding that only 29% of Uttar Pradesh gave Adityanath a positive rating is a telling statistic ahead of the assembly election in the state in 2022.
The findings of the poll have been published in the magazine and were the topic of the prime-time discus
sion on the television news channel run by the same news house. Several on social media have, meanwhile, tweeted on the findings of the survey.
The magazine’s cover indicates that inflation and unemployment are top concerns of an Indian at this point. Within only a span of six months – from 17% in January 2021 – the number of people who think that the economy will “get worse” has grown to 32%.
Journalist Shivam Vij tweeted on the overall trends visible from the survey. He noted that Adityanath was closing in on current home minister Amit Shah when it came to the BJP’s possible choice of a PM candidate to succeed Narendra Modi.
Only 28% feel their economic situation has improved since Modi became prime minister, Vij analyses.
Vij also highlights that the survey points out that there is a dent in Modi’s purported trademark of having honest intent with 60% saying the government under him is not even trying to improve the inflation scenario. The percentage was 35 in January 2021.
Modi’s big USP with voters is intent. Even when he fails they say he’s at least trying. Saaf niyat etc. But India Today Mood of the Nation Survey says for the first time more than a majority of people think he’s not even trying his best to control inflation.
There is also scepticism on not just the government’s efforts but even the date it puts forth, as 71% of people said that there are more people who have been affected by COVID-19 than the official numbers say.
As many as 27% of respondents found that large gatherings were responsible for the spread of the second wave. And while 10% blamed state governments for the second wave, 13% blame the Center alone, and 44% blame both governments they are under.
If the BJP wins the 2024 parliamentary election and Modi becomes PM for the third consecutive term, he may step down as PM after September 17, 2025 as he will complete 75 years of age. This may happen if the BJP strictly follows the unwritten rule on age of its leaders on ministerial and party posts.
At present, Modi is the fourth-longest serving PM of the country. While first PM Pt Jawaharlal Nehru was on the post for 17 consecutive years, his daughter Indira Gandhi served as PM for 16 years in different tenures. Modi’s immediate predecessor Manmohan Singh was PM for 10 consecutive years from 2004 to 2014.
Modi would surpass Manmohan Singh in 2024. He will have to remain in the post till 2031 to surpass both Nehru and Indira Gandhi to create the record of being the longest-serving PM of India.
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