Narendra Mod I’s popularity as the next choice as India’s Prime Minister has fallen in the past six months, shows a survey conducted by India Today. According to the survey, though Prime Minister Mod I got the most votes — 24% feel he is the best choice for PM — the share of votes he received has fallen from 38% in January 2020, and 66% in August 2020. According to the poll, after PM Mod I, Yogi Adityanath is in second place with 11% of votes in his favor (an increase from 3% in August 2020), followed by Rahul Gandhi (10%).
Yogi Adityanath
Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath was rated as the best chief minister of the country, according to 24 per cent of the respondents, while 15 per cent chose Delhi’s Arvind Kejriwal.
FALL IN PM MOD I'S POPULARITY
The survey has a sample size of 15,000, which is decent for a national survey. It may not be very reliable if one is looking for specific insights from smaller states. For instance, it may not be useful to ascertain the popularity of the CM in a state like Goa or Manipur, as the sample size from that state may be low. But to get a national picture, a sample size of 15,000 is fine. Mod I’s popularity ratings overtook his own previous best, with 69 per cent calling him ‘outstanding or good’ in the January 2017 MOTH survey.
Most of the other national surveys conducted also indicate a fall in PM Mod I's popularity in the last six months. However, their conclusion was that the fall took place around April-May, when the COVID-19 second wave was at its peak.
It is curious that Mod I fared better in competition with tall former PMs like Nehru, Indira Gandhi, VP Singh, et al. as compared to present competitors, like Yogi Adityanath, Rahul Gandhi, Mama ta Banerjee, Arvind, Sonia Gandhi, and Priyanka Gandhi.
Yogi Adityanath popularity in his home state is below many other CMS :
So, this is curious. While Yogi's approval rating in his own state has gone down by a massive 20 percentage points in one year, people picking him as the next PM has gone up by 8 percentage points.
It is difficult to understand how this happened. It is highly unlikely that this eight percent increase has come from Uttar Pradesh, where his popularity has fallen substantially. And UP, being the most populous state, is bound to account for a sizeable part of the total sample size.
Just for the sake of comparison, according to Voter's tracker, the proportion of people choosing Adityanath as the next PM is less than 3 percent.
1. Yogi Adityanath is twenty years younger than Mod I. Mod I was older than Yogi when he became CM of Gujarat in 2001.
2. Yogi is a Santa, whereas Mod I is living a life of a bachelor. Because of his yogic life, every member of BJP respect him and touch his feet irrespective of age. His sainthood has made him a revered personality, unlike Mod I, who is only respected.
3. Yogi being a saint do not have any caste. People of all caste adore him. He does not represent any single caste, represents all. Whereas Mod I belong to backward caste and is identified so.
4. The situation in Gujarat in 2001 and UP in 2017 are different. In 2001 before Mod I became CM, the incumbent CM was embroiled in corruption. BJP wanted a person to set it right. Mod I was the answer and he conducted well. Whereas in UP, the law and order problem has gone out of hand. The goons are ruling the roost. A strong and bold CM is required. Yogi fit the need of the hour.
5. Mod I never had his own army of supporters in Gujarat at any time. Yogi has a Hindu Yuma Tahini spread across UP, who would gather round him, supporting him always, making him unbeatable.
6. Mod I thinks twice before he speaks. He weighs the pros and cons of what he wants to say. Yogi on the other hand speaks his mind openly, what he feels right. He shuns hypocrisy.
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