Narendra Modi more favoured in India than Rahul Gandhi, says Pew survey

A survey by Washington-based think tank, Pew Research, shows that BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi is more favoured than Rahul Gandhi in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. 

Pew interviewed 2,464 voters in India, between December 7 and January 12. According to the survey, more than 60% voters in India favour BJP, while less than 20% voters favour Congress.

"With the Indian parliamentary elections just weeks away, the Indian public, by a margin of more than three-to-one, would prefer the Hindu-nationalist opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to lead the next Indian government rather than the Indian National Congress (INC), which heads the current left-of-centre governing coalition," Pew Research said.

The survey also showed that less than a third of Indians are satisfied with the way things are today.

The survey shows BJP as the most popular party with Indians, with around 64% backing in rural India and 60% in urban areas.

Other parties have the support of 12% of the population.

The survey shows that BJP enjoys a major support in northern states of Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Haryana, Punjab and Delhi, with 74% people choosing the party over Congress or other parties.

Interestingly, the survey shows that the BJP has a meagre 54% backing in Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh and Modi's own state Gujarat.

According to the survey, around 60% voters opined that the BJP will be more successful than Congress in creating job opportunities, reducing terrorism and check corruption. 

While only 17% said thought that Congress would fare better in dealing with corruption.