ISLAMABAD Aug 25 (Online): Indian voters are growing unhappy with Prime Minister Narendra Modi\u2019s government due to high inflation and unemployment but he is still on track to comfortably win a third term in elections next year due to his personal popularity, a key survey said.<\/p>\n
The popularity of main opposition leader Rahul Gandhi has risen and a new, 26-party opposition alliance called \u201cINDIA\u201d is expected to do well, the \u201cMood of the Nation\u201d survey by India Today magazine said on Friday.<\/p>\n
Modi, however, is far ahead of Gandhi with a 36-point lead as the candidate best-suited to be India\u2019s next prime minister and his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will win 287 seats in the 542-member lower house of parliament if elections are held now, it said.<\/p>\n
National elections are due by May 2024, though several state polls are expected to be held before then.<\/p>\n
Promising change, Modi swept to power in 2014, and he has consolidated his hold since with welfare economics, a focus on boosting infrastructure and aggressive Hindu nationalism.<\/p>\n
Rivals say the government has ensured that the BJP\u2019s line dominates mainstream newspapers, television news channels and social media with its combativeness, often drowning out critical voices.<\/p>\n
India\u2019s sticky retail inflation hit a 15-month high of 7.44 per cent in July, pushed by soaring food price inflation which rose to 11.5pc, its highest in more than three-and-a-half years.<\/p>\n
India is the world\u2019s fastest growing large economy but an unemployment rate that has stayed around 8pc in recent months is considered a major challenge.<\/p>\n
Economists say India needs to create 70 million new jobs over the next 10 years but only 24m will likely be created.<\/p>\n
The India Today survey, conducted twice a year, said 59pc of the more than 160,000 people polled between July 15 and Aug. 14 said they were satisfied with the performance of Modi\u2019s government, down from 67pc in the previous survey in January.<\/p>\n
Similarly, 63pc said Modi\u2019s performance as prime minister was good, down from 72pc in January. And 22pc said his performance was poor, up from 16pc in January.<\/p>\n
Whenever inflation rises and dissatisfaction numbers go up, said Yashwant Deshmukh, psephologist with C-Voter agency which conducted the India Today poll.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut these are remarkable numbers,\u201d Deshmukh said, referring to Modi\u2019s personal popularity after nine years in power.
\n\u201cThere is a sense of trustworthiness, voters are looking at his efforts,\u201d he said, adding that the bad news is not hurting his numbers too much.
\nCongress party leader Gandhi, the survey said, got his highest approval rating in four years with 32pc saying he is best-suited to revive the fortunes of his party.<\/p>\n
It also said Gandhi is the best-suited opposition leader to become prime minister with a 24pc backing, up from 13pc in January when he was the third choice.<\/p>\n
Gandhi quit as Congress president after leading it to one of its worst performances in the 2019 elections.<\/p>\n
He is, however, seen to have revived his image after a five-month-long \u201cunify India march\u201d across the country that he set out on in September last year.<\/p>\n
The INDIA alliance led by Congress includes powerful regional parties with a strong base in the south and east, where the BJP is weak.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
ISLAMABAD Aug 25 (Online): Indian voters are growing unhappy with Prime Minister Narendra Modi\u2019s government due to high inflation and unemployment but he is still on track to comfortably win a third term in elections next year due to his personal popularity, a key survey […]<\/p>\n
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