CVoter Survey: Near 50% of Opposition voters say Modi takes strong decisions

Close to three out of every five Indians are of the opinion that the Narendra Modi regime has been marked by "strong decisions" over the last nine years.

This was disclosed during an exclusive pan-India survey conducted by CVoter to mark nine years of the regime. Modi was sworn in as the Prime Minister of India on May 26, 2014 after he led the BJP to a historic majority of 282 seats in the Lok Sabha elections.

One of his campaign planks was a promise not to be as "weak" as his predecessor, Dr. Manmohan Singh. Surprisingly, a near majority of voters who support the UPA and oppose Modi also share the opinion.

During the survey, 48 per cent of UPA supporters stated that the "Modi regime has taken strong decisions". The numbers are significantly higher for Modi supporters with three out of every four Indians sharing the sentiment.

Supporters of Modi often boast that he has always taken strong decisions even when they have been politically risky. Many cite demonetisation as one such political risk taken by Modi.

The CVoter survey also reveals other significant differences. For instance, while 53 per cent of those in the 18 to 24 year age group feel he has taken strong decisions, close to 74 per cent of those in the 35 to 44 year age group feel the same. Similarly, while 45 per cent of those belonging to scheduled caste (Dalits) feel Modi has taken strong decisions, 70 per cent of upper caste Hindu share the same sentiment.

Analysts cite the abrogation of Article 370 that gave special status to Jammu & Kashmir as a powerful example of this.

Narendra Modi was sworn in as the Prime Minister on May 26, 2014 after he led the BJP to a historic majority of 282 seats in the Lok Sabha elections.

During the election campaign in 2014, Modi emerged as a leader who publicly took pride in his identity as a Hindu and promoted unapologetic nationalism.

This has led to a polarisation of Indian polity and prompted many critics to portray the prime minister in an unflattering light.

There are hardly any major differences of opinion on this issue except the Muslim community that does not perceive Modi and his regime in very favourable terms.

Nationalism and Hindutva were "embedded" ever since the Prime Minister decided to personally contest Lok Sabha elections from Varanasi, one of the oldest and most holy cities that mark Hinduism.

Perhaps the only major difference of opinion is among supporters of NDA and UPA.

While more than 61 per cent of UPA supporters are of the opinion that "the politics of the Narendra Modi regime revolves mainly around Hindutva & Nationalism", about 52 per cent of NDA supporters shared the same sentiment.

That could be because NDA supporters also cite welfare schemes as part of the core agenda of the Modi regime.

Nevertheless, since Modi became Prime Minister, the construction of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya has started in earnest after a Supreme Court verdict, the Kashi Vishwanath corridor has been completed, the brand new structures in Ujjain Mahakaal Temple have been completed and numerous religious tourism voyages have been launched.

During his regime, Hindu temples have been opened even in many countries in West Asia. (IANS/NS)