Priyanka Gandhi wouldn't be of much help for the Congress's situation in UP. (Image: Reuters)

With the Congress banking on Priyanka Gandhi in Uttar Pradesh ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, 57 per cent of respondents feel her entry into active politics won't help the party's revival, India Today Political Stock Exchange (PSE) has found.

Priyanka Gandhi took charge as the All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary in-charge of eastern Uttar Pradesh on January 23. The poll shows only 27 per cent voters think Priyanka's induction can revive the Congress's electoral fortune.

Though Priyanka has a popular appeal, she doesn't come with much political experience as she has only campaigned on-and-off for her mother Sonia Gandhi and brother Rahul Gandhi in their constituencies Raebareli and Amethi, respectively.

Image: India Today TV

Asked which party would be the most affected after Priyanka Gandhi's political plunge, 56 per cent (of those 27 per cent who want her) say the Samajwadi Party-Bahujan Samaj Party combine while 31 per cent feel it would impact the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

The poll also shows as many as 48 per cent of the respondents think the SP-BSP alliance won't damage the BJP in Uttar Pradesh but 35 per cent feel the other way.

Image: India Today TV

The Narendra Modi government is facing growing pressure to move swiftly on the Ram temple issue and the PSE survey has found that 47 per cent think the central government is serious about building the Ram Mandir at Ayodhya while 35 per cent don't feel the same.

Also, there is some not-so-good news for UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. Though he remains the top choice for the next CM of Uttar Pradesh, his stock has fallen to 39 per cent from 43 per cent since September 2018 when the last PSE was done.

Image: India Today TV

SP chief Akhilesh Yadav stood second at 33 per cent, a rise of four per cent in four months. BSP supremo Mayawati bagged the third spot with 14 per cent votes, a dip of four per cent.

On the choice of the next Prime Minister, though Rahul Gandhi is much behind Prime Minister Narendra Modi, his performance has enhanced in the past four months. The poll reveals 52 per cent want PM Modi for the top post - a four per cent increase from September but only one per cent rise from December. Rahul bagged the second position with 31 per cent votes, a good nine per cent rise from September and five per cent in two months.

The PSE reveals that though the performance of the BJP government at the Centre is rated better than that of the state government, there is an almost negligible gain in the past four months. As many as 42 per cent voters expressed satisfaction with the performance of the state government, up by just one per cent from September, while the dissatisfaction level has also increased by two per cent, touching 39 per cent.

Image: India Today TV

As many as 54 per cent gave a thumbs up to the central government for its performance, with only one per cent increase in four months. Again, the dissatisfaction level shows an upward trend with 32 per cent expressing unhappiness. In September, it was four per cent less.

The poll also highlighted major issues faced by voters ahead of the Lok Sabha elections. Unemployment worried 30 per cent of the respondents followed by price rise (18 per cent) and agrarian issues (17 per cent).

The PSE survey was conducted between January 29 and February 6 via telephonic interview at 80 Parliamentary constituencies of Uttar Pradesh. The poll had a sample size of 8,442.