PM Narendra Modi's approval ratings have dipped marginally, but he is still the favourite to lead the country

Despite some chinks in the armour, PM Narendra Modi and his BJP-led government at the Centre retain their heights of popularity, almost. Concerns around the slowing economy and over policies such as the controversial Citizenship Amendment Act may be rising, but PM Narendra Modi is still the man for the job with nobody else coming close to displacing him as the person to lead India. This is according to the findings of the bi-annual Mood of the Nation survey conducted by the India Today Group in coordination with Karvy Insights.

The January 2020 edition of the Mood of the Nation survey finds that Narendra Modi's performance as prime minister is still highly rated. Sixty-eight per cent of respondents said that they found PM Narendra Modi's performance to be either good or outstanding. This is a minor drop of three percentage points compared to the August 2019 edition of the Mood of the Nation.

Meanwhile, the fact that the Narendra Modi government enjoys the country's trust is echoed in the finding that if elections were held today, the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance would have sufficient numbers to form government. The survey finds that if elections were held today, the NDA would win 303 seats and the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance 108 in the Lok Sabha, where the majority mark is 272. This is a drop of 50 seats for the NDA (which does not include the Shiv Sena) and an increase of 15 seats of the UPA, compared to the results of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections that returned PM Modi to power.

Methodology of Mood of the Nation 2020

WORRIES

Crucially, the Mood of the Nation January 2020 shows the NDA's vote share dropping by as much as four per cent points to 41%. The UPA, on the other hand, would improve its vote share by two per cent points to 29%.

The Mood of the Nation survey also finds that three are growing concerns about the state of the economy. Sixty-two per cent of the respondents said that rising food prices indicated that the economy is in a bad shape while 32 per cent said that while the economy is growing, it is doing so at a slower pace than in the past.

Also on the economic front, the respondents' evaluation of the Modi government's economic performance has fallen sharply. Fifty per cent said that the Modi government's economic performance was better than the Congress-led UPA government -- a drop of 10 per cent points. Simultaneously, 30 per cent said the performance was worse than the UPA -- a rise of eight per cent points.

J&K and CAA-NRC: A MIXED BAG

The last few months has seen the Modi government come under intense criticism over its policies around Jammu and Kashmir and the controversial Citizenship Amendment Act. On this, the Mood of the Nation January 2020 finds that public opinion is divided.

While 58 per cent of respondents feel that the Modi government's move to strip the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir of its special status under Article 370 will lead to a permanent solution to the Kashmir issue. Meanwhile, 50 per cent said that the decision to separate Jammu and Kashmir into two Union Territories violates the federal character of the Indian Constitution.

On the Citizenship Amendment Act, a majority -- 41 per cent -- back the government's argument and say that the legislation will help persecuted minorities from neighbouring countries. Also, almost half of the respondents -- 49 per cent -- believe that implementing a nationwide National Register of Citizens is a good step for Indian democracy.

At the same time, 52 per cent agree that minorities are feeling insecure about the combined effects of CAA and a nationwide NRC. Furthermore, 53 per cent believe that the insecurity among minorities is justified. Crucially, 42 per cent of the respondents said that the recent student protests seen in the country have led to the BJP government losing the connect it had with the youth.

THE SHAH OF THE CABINET

Amit Shah -- long seen as PM Narendra Modi's No. 2 -- has not even completed a year as a Union minister. However, he has eclipsed everybody else in the Modi cabinet to be voted as the top performing minister in the Mood of the Nation survey.

Forty-three per cent of the respondents voted Shah as the top performing minister. He is followed by Rajnath Singh, Nitin Gadkari, Nirmala Sitharaman and Piyush Goyal.

WHO WILL SAVE THE CONGRESS?

Short answer: The Gandhis. Rahul, Priyanka and Sonia Gandhi ranked No. 1, 2 and 3 on the list of the best person to revive the Congress. The three members of the Gandhi family are followed by former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Rajasthan deputy CM Sachin Pilot.

Rahul Gandhi, though, has the clear support of 24 per cent of respondents with sister Priyanka being picked by 14 per cent. Meanwhile, Sonia Gandhi's run as interim president of the party since August 2019, when Rahul quit the post following the Lok Sabha election drubbing, was rated good or outstanding by 49 per cent of respondents.

Also, the perception remains that the Congress is going through a serious crisis. Fifty-eight per cent of the respondents of the Mood of the Nation survey said that the change of guard in the Congress from Rahul to Sonia is an indicator that the Congress is going through its biggest-ever leadership crisis.

YOGI NO. 1

Finally, coming to the states, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has retained the spot of India's best-performing CMs. Eighteen per cent of respondents said Yogi was the best-performing CM in India.

Delhi CM Arivnd Kejriwal and West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee tied for the second spot at 11 per cent. They are followed by Bihar's Nitish Kumar, Andhra Pradeesh's YS Jagan Mohan Reddy and Maharashtra's Uddhav Thackeray.