Most Indians prefer BJP more than Congress, reveals PEW survey

New Delhi, Feb 27: After tasting defeat in the recent elections held in five states - Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Mizoram and Delhi, it clearly looks like the UPA will have to prepare themselves for a major vote fall in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections as well!

A recent survey conducted by Pew Research Center between December 7, 2013 and January 12, 2014 clearly shows that BJP and their prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi are by far more popular than Congress and Rahul Gandhi.

According to the survey, most of the public says the BJP would do a better job on each of a half dozen challenges facing the nation - from combating corruption to fighting terrorism.

Numbers say it all:

Just 29% of Indians are satisfied with the way things are going in India today; 70% are dissatisfied. Such disgruntlement cuts across various demographic groups: men (72%) and women (67%); Indians aged between 18 to 29 (72%) and those 50 years of age and older (69%); those with a primary school education or less (67%) and those with a college education or more (75%); and people living in urban areas (72%) and those in rural areas (68%).

More than 63% people prefer the BJP to lead the next Indian national government. Just 19% pick the Indian National Congress. Other parties have the support of 12% of the public. BJP backing is consistent across all age groups. Support is almost equal between rural (64%) and urban (60%) Indians.

North Indian states - Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Haryana, Punjab and Delhi - which together are home to more than 400 million people, give the BJP its highest level of support, with 74% saying they want it to lead the next government.

Congress's strongest regional support (30%) is in the eastern states of Odisha, Bihar, West Bengal and Jharkhand, among India's poorest areas and home to 270 million people.

BJP wins popularity among Indians

An average of over 55% Indians believe that BJP will be far more better when it comes to reducing unemployment, tackling terrorism and combating corruption. More than half the public (55%) believe that the BJP would be better at reining in inflation after having seen so much price rise in the last few years.

Even when it comes to gaining trust votes, roughly 78% people favour Narendra Modi, compared with 16% who hold an unfavorable view. Modi's support is especially high in the North, and he is seen favorably in both rural and urban areas and among high and low income and well educated and less educated Indians.

The 2014 Indian election will select 543 members of the Lok Sabha, the lower house of the national parliament. The new Lok Sabha will elect the prime minister, who will then name a cabinet.

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