Has the Delhi
dharna undermined chief minister Arvind Kejriwal? An exclusive NDTV survey, in which we sample opinion not just in the national capital but also in Bangalore and Mumbai, shows that the majority backs the protest, but does not think Delhi Police should report to state government.
Following are the results of the survey:Of all the respondents, about two-thirds approved of Mr Kejriwal as a very good or good chief minister. 58% of the people surveyed in Delhi said so but it was in Mumbai that Mr Kejriwal seems have have his highest approval ratings.
Slightly over half of all respondents think it was correct for Mr Kejriwal to go on a
dharna. That number is significantly higher in Mumbai (58%) than in Delhi (51%).
When asked - 'Who would make the best chief minister for Delhi?' - almost two thirds of the people in the capital backed Mr Kejriwal, 23% backed BJP's Harsh Vardhan and just 9% said former chief minister Sheila Dikshit.
In what may come as a surprise to Arvind Kejriwal and his Aam Aadmi Party, 56% of respondents in Delhi were against the state government controlling the city's police force. This was one of the main demands of Mr Kejriwal during his 33-hour
dharna this week.
But as AAP eyes the Lok Sabha polls in three months from now, they can draw strength from the fact that their support base in Delhi is intact. More than half of the respondents from the capital said they'd vote for AAP if assembly polls were to be held again.