Anti-incumbency played spoilsport in the recent assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan, but Delhi remains untouched by the wave as both Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his government's popularity show a marginal rise in the last two months, India Today's Political Stock Exchange has revealed.

The poll shows that Kejriwal and his Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government scaled two per cent each on the performance meter since October when the last PSE was conducted.

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As many as 49 per cent of respondents backed the AAP supremo in the latest round as opposed to 47 per cent in October. In a big boost for the AAP government, 43 per cent respondents expressed satisfaction with the work, which is an increase of two per cent in two months.

Thirty-four per cent expressed dissatisfaction in the poll, a one per cent drop from October.

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On the choice of the next chief minister of the Capital, Delhi BJP chief Manoj Tiwari stood second at 14 per cent, an increase of five per cent from the last count. Former Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit and Union minister Harsh Vardhan bagged the third spot with 12 per cent each, the poll showed.

Dikshit's popularity has taken a sharp hit of seven per cent in two months. It is to be noted that with the resignation of Ajay Maken as Delhi Congress chief on Friday, Dikshit is in the race for the post.

On the other hand, the recent losses in assembly elections have failed to dent the image of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the Capital as he still remains on top of the popularity chart, the PSE poll showed.

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As many as 49 per cent respondents back Modi for the top job of the country, while 40 per cent support Congress president Rahul Gandhi. The poll further showed that Rahul's rating has dipped by three per cent since October while that of the PM remained constant. Kejriwal is the third choice for the top post with eight per cent of the respondents backing him. Interestingly, he has gained three per cent since October.

The performance of the central government has shown fluctuation in two months. The survey showed a six per cent difference between satisfaction and dissatisfaction levels among voters in last October, however, that gap has reduced to four per cent, only indicating that people are beginning to show their discontentment.

Asked about the performance of the central government in the last four-and-a-half years, 41 per cent Delhi voters were satisfied, slipping by one per cent from the last poll, whereas 37 per cent expressed dissatisfaction, recording a one per cent rise.

The PSE has revealed that the Capital's voters are almost evenly divided on accepting an alliance between AAP and Congress for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. Although there is a buzz of a probable tie-up, both AAP and the Congress are undecided over the matter.

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The PSE survey also showed four out of 10 voters rejected the idea of a pre-poll alliance between the two parties while almost the same number supported it. One-fifth voters ticked the "don't know" box.

Also, the construction of Ram Mandir will be the game-changer ahead of the elections, with high-voltage debates already becoming a regular feature in the Parliament.

Fourty-six per cent of the respondents believe Ram Mandir in Ayodhya would be a major political issue in the coming general election while 39 per cent didn't, the survey found.

On whether the NDA government should bring an Ordinance to construct the Ram Temple before the Supreme Court verdict, 42 per cent said "yes" while 24 per cent said "no".

The poll also highlighted major issues confronting the voters ahead of the Lok Sabha elections. Price rise worried 26 per cent of the respondents followed by employment opportunity (22 per cent), corruption (18 per cent), drinking water (12 per cent) and pollution (12 per cent).

The PSE poll was conducted by Axis My India between December 27, 2018, and January 3, 2019 via telephonic interview in seven Parliamentary constituencies of Delhi. The poll had a sample size of 1,017.

In the 70-member Assembly, Kejriwal's AAP swept the 2015 elections, securing 67 seats. The BJP won the remainder and Congress zero.