Who after Modi? Two leaders in race: some unexpected highs and lows

NEW DELHI: He has been leading the country thrice and is nearing 75. Therefore, it is doubtful whether Narendra Modi will be there to lead the NDA in the next Lok Sabha elections. BJP's policy approaches also lend strength to this doubt. The question arises as to who will be the next leader. The results of the Mood of the Nation survey conducted by India Today have come out raising this question. Home Minister Amit Shah is leading in the survey.

Twenty-five percent of people think that Amit Shah is the only person fit to replace Modi. Though Amit Shah is on the top priority, his popularity has dropped significantly compared to previous polls. In the previous two surveys, those who supported him were 29 and 28 percent respectively. According to the latest survey, Amit Shah is more supported by people from south India. Thirty-one percent of people in South India support him.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, who has long been in the news and in the minds of BJP supporters as Modi's successor, tops the second place. 19 percent people want Yogi to be the Prime Minister. Some political observers believe that the simmering issues within the BJP in Uttar Pradesh may have brought Yogi below Amit Shah. Yogi was blamed for the poor performance of the NDA in the state in the recent Lok Sabha elections.

Union Minister Nitin Gadkari is third with 13 percent votes. Defense Minister Rajnath Singh and Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan are on the list with five per cent popularity. Shivraj Singh Chouhan's support has increased significantly compared to previous surveys. In earlier surveys, only 2.9 percent were in favor of him and that has now risen to five percent. It is estimated that this is an unexpected rise. 40,591 people from 543 Lok Sabha constituencies of the country responded to the survey.