The Sabarimala issue has won the BJP support but led to dip in the popularity of Pinarayi Vijayan's LDF.

A non-entity in Kerala politics till some months ago, the Bharatiya Janata Party seems to have emerged as a new force in the southern state ruled by the Left Democratic Front, India Today's Political Stock Exchange reveals.

This rise comes on the back of the raging Sabarimala row centring around Hindu religious traditions linked to the shrine.

According to the Axis-My-India survey for India Today, as high as 45 per cent of voters believe the saffron party has emerged as a political force in the state as outrage continues over the Supreme Court order revoking the ban on women's entry to Sabarimala temple.

33 per cent Keralites, however, disagree that the BJP has done enough to create a base for itself in Kerala.

In 2016, the BJP could win only one seat in the 140-member assembly.

Desecration or gender equality

According to PSE findings, 42 per cent deem women's entry to the Lord Ayappa shrine as an act of desecration as opposed to 23 per cent who see it as a sign of gender equality.

Barely 16 per cent believe in upholding the Supreme Court verdict.

LDF popularity dips

The PSE found that the popularity of the Pinarayi Vijayan government has dropped from 42 per cent in October to 39 per cent in January.

The chief minister himself registered a drop of two per cent on the question of who should be the next CM of the state -- from 27 per cent three months ago to 25 per cent now.

Congress leader Oommen Chandy is backed by 22 per cent of voters, up from 20 in October, as the next chief minister, the data showed.

But as far as Sabarimala is concerned, as high as 58 per cent believe the Kerala government has stayed firm on its stand with regard to the issue.

Major concerns

Jobs top the list of major issues (29 per cent) followed by corruption (22 per cent) and farmers' issues (18 per cent), as per the PSE survey.

RaGa vs Modi

Congress chief Rahul Gandhi has recorded a jump in popularity in the southern state, with 41 per cent backing him as the next prime minister in January compared to 38 per cent in October.

PM Narendra Modi, on the other hand, is supported by 30 per cent, down from 31 three months ago.

Methodology

The Kerala PSE survey was conducted via telephone interviews across 20 parliamentary constituencies, with a sample size of 2,078.