Prime Minister Narendra Modi has emerged as the most trusted leader in an opinion poll by News18 that surveyed over 118,000 respondents encompassing diverse religious and social groups.
Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP's) Modi garnered 59% of the total votes when respondents were asked which leader they trusted the most to make their lives better, spotlighting the widespread confidence in his leadership abilities.
Opposition leaders Rahul Gandhi of Indian National Congress, Arvind Kejriwal of Aam Aadmi Party and Mamata Banerjee of All India Trinamool Congress collectively garnered 39% of the trust vote, with them securing 21%, 9%, and 9%, respectively.
Interestingly, Modi's lead in the trust ratings was consistent across various religious and social categories.
Among the Hindus, who comprised a significant portion of the surveyed population, Modi's trust rating stood at 66%.
While his support among Muslims Shia and Muslims Sunni appeared lower at 39% and 37%, respectively, his appeal garnered significant trust from Sikhs (39%), Buddhists (45%), Jains (51%), and others (53%).
In contrast, Rahul Gandhi's trust ratings present a divergent picture. He trails Modi across all religious and social categories — except one segment.
Gandhi garnered relatively higher support from Christian (46%) respondents than Modi who got support from 31% of respondents.
Gandhi experienced comparatively lower trust among Hindus (19%), Muslim Shias and Sunnis (at 25% each), as well as Buddhists (20%)
Modi's ratings among different castes
Within the General category, 58% expressed trust in Modi's leadership, while the figure stood at 57% among Scheduled Castes (SC) and 56% among Scheduled Tribes (ST).
Modi's trust ratings were notably higher among Other Backward Classes (OBC) at 63%.
Among those who refrained from specifying their social category, Modi's trust rating remained slightly lower than other categories. Rahul Gandhi trailed Modi in all the caste categories.
The survey was done across 21 states and 518 Lok Sabha seats were covered.
(Edited by : Sriram Iyer)
First Published: Mar 13, 2024 7:44 PM IST
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