Modi reigns as best CM, Rahul's stock rising

Gujarat's Narendra Modi remains India's best performing chief minister while Congress prince Rahul Gandhi is the man the nation is rooting for to be prime minister, according to the India Today Mood of the Nation poll.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's popularity, as per the annual poll, is sinking by the day. His UPA government too has got a thumbs-down over rising prices and overall performance.

A comprehensive poll
With a sample size of over 12,000 eligible voters in 98 parliamentary constituencies across 19 states, the Mood of the Nation poll is the most definitive reflection of what the country thinks and wants. It covers all age groups and both genders in urban and rural India.

Best chief ministerSince 2002, India Today has been tracking the performance of chief ministers in this poll. And since then, Modi has figured among the top five chief ministers.

In the latest poll, Modi's nationwide popularity rating of 20 equals the combined ratings of the second and third best chief ministers - Delhi's Sheila Dikshit (11) and Bihar's Nitish Kumar (9).

Ironically, Dikshit's popularity is on the wane in her karmabhoomi Delhi. She maybe ranked No. 2 nationally but comes at a dismal 17 among her own voters.

Modi is India's most controversial politician. He's scorned by pundits and spurned by intellectuals. Yet, he continues to be a pan-Indian idol.

Best bet for PMRahul, on the other hand, is the one the country wants to see at the helm. He has got the maximum votes as prime ministerial candidate. But along with Rahul's popularity comes the shrinking acceptability of Manmohan Singh as prime minister.

Rahul's rise is at the expense of both Manmohan and Congress chief Sonia Gandhi. Of the 21 per cent gain in Rahul's popularity, 17 came from Manmohan and two from Sonia.

The poll also points to the enduring nostalgia for former prime minister A.B. Vajpayee. After Rahul (29 per cent), the BJP veteran is the next most favoured prime ministerial candidate (16 per cent).

While Rahul has raised the nation's hopes, the euphoria around the UPA government that his party heads is evaporating. In its second term, the UPA government remains torn apart by policy conflicts, spiralling prices and a prime minister whose approval ratings have dropped to an unprecedented low.

If there were polls today
So if elections were to be called at this stage, the results could be too close for comfort for the Congress. The Congress-led alliance would get 246-256 seats as compared to 259 seats in 2009 - a negative swing of 0.8 per cent.