New Delhi: As opposition parties accuse the ruling BJP of weaponizing central probe agencies against rivals, a special NDTV survey reveals that people are divided on the role of the CBI and Enforcement Directorate.
NDTV's "Public Opinion", a special survey conducted in collaboration with Lokniti-Centre for the Study of Developing Societies (CSDS), finds that 37 per cent of the respondents believe the agencies are functioning in accordance with the law.
Around 32 per cent of respondents shared the view of opposition parties that the agencies were being used as instruments for political vendetta. 31% said they had no opinion on it.
The survey also asked respondents to assess the government's handling of corruption. 45 per cent of the people surveyed expressed their dissatisfaction; 41% rated the government's performance good on this score and 8% found it average.
The survey assessed public mood across the country as PM Modi completes nine years in power this month. It was conducted in 19 states between May 10 and 19, just after the Karnataka election in which the ruling BJP lost to the Congress.
Despite the loss in Karnataka, PM Modi's popularity remains robust and the BJP's vote share remains steady. Around 43% of the respondents say the BJP-led NDA (National Democratic Alliance) should win a third straight term, while 38% disagree. Nearly 40% say they would vote the BJP if elections were held today. The Congress gets 29% of the votes.
The BJP's vote share has increased from 2019 (37%) to 2023 (39%). So has the Congress's - 19% in 2019 to 29% in 2023.
As many as 43 per cent of the respondents have said if elections are held today, Narendra Modi is their top choice for PM. His nearest rival is Rahul Gandhi - 27 per cent of those surveyed favoured him as Prime Minister.
The others are far behind when it comes to a popular choice for PM - Mamata Banerjee and Arvind Kejriwal are tied at a distant third (both 4%), followed by Akhilesh Yadav (3%), Nitish Kumar (1%), and 18% for the others.
Lokniti-CSDS carried out the survey with 7,202 respondents spread across 71 constituencies.