Braving controversies, Narendra Modi emerges favourite as next PM: poll

Mumbai: Unscathed by recent controversies and barbs, Narendra Modi tops India’s choice as the country’s next prime minister, according to a poll conducted by The India Today Group-Cicero Mood of the Nation.

As per the survey, about 57 per cent of the respondents rated Modi’s performance as good to excellent. Only 13 per cent considered his performance to be poor. However, going by the last poll, which was conducted in April, there was a marginal dip of 3 per cent in respondents who considered him excellent.

Regarding the post for Prime Minister, Modi was preferred by 37 per cent, while 11 per cent favoured Arvind Kejriwal. The poll further showed Rahul Gandhi at 8 per cent, followed by Sonia Gandhi and Mayawati at 5 per cent each.

When respondents were asked about the best party, BJP was the top choice for solving problems faced in the country, followed by Congress and AAP.

However, with Lalitgate and Vyapam scam, Modi’s image seemed to be slightly affected.

While the survey showed that 34 per cent respondents believed that controversies dented the government's image, another 20 per cent thought it played a role to some extent.

Sushma Swaraj's and Vasundhara Raje's decision to help former IPL chief Lalit Modi was incorrect, 44 per cent voters said.

Despite the recent Vyapam scam and Lalit Modi controversies, the Bharatiya Janata Party continued to remain the country's most preferred party, the polls showed.