Narendra Modi was not only the most popular choice for the post of Prime Minister during the course of the 2019 Lok Sabha election — his leadership of the government was a key if not the most decisive factor that swayed voter choices, according to Lokniti’s post-poll survey.
As many as 44% of the respondents preferred Mr. Modi, who established a clear lead over Congress president Rahul Gandhi (24%). Support for Mr. Modi was more pronounced among the youth and graduates and was higher in the Hindi heartland. In these States (barring Uttar Pradesh), voters also gave a higher preference to the “prime ministerial candidate” over other options (party and local candidate, etc.), when asked what factor determined their choice.
The “Modi factor” helped the Bharatiya Janata Party overcome voter dissatisfaction with the party’s re-nominated candidates in several seats as well.
Mr. Gandhi’s popularity, despite being lower than Mr. Modi’s, has increased considerably since 2014, the data showed.
