Karvy Mood of The Nation Poll

Coverage Report

December 14, 2016

Compiled by : Adfactors PR Pvt Ltd

Print Coverage

No. Publication/Portal Headline Date

1 Mail Today Note Orvote, India Banks On Modi 27.01.17

2 The Free Press Journal Modi to be PM again if LS polls are held now 28.01.17

3 Prahar PM Modi can win 360 seats 28.01.17

4 Prahar Karvy Group 28.01.17

5 Business Standard Poll: SP-Congress alliance ahead in Uttar

Pradesh 01.02.17

Publication : Mail Today

Date : 27.01.17 Page: 1,6,7

Publication : The Free Press Journal

Date : 28.01.17 Page: 1

Publication : Prahar

Date : 28.01.17 Page: 1

Publication : Prahar

Date : 28.01.17 Page: 4

Publication : Business Standard

Date : 01.02.17 Page: 1

Online Coverage

Index

No Date Portal Headline

1 27.01.17 Financial Express Demonetisation effect: PM Modi can win 360 seats, UPA

just 60 if ...

2 27.01.17 Quint 65% Say Modi is Preferred PM, NDA to Get 360 Seats in

2019: Survey

3 27.01.17 India Today India Today Mood of the Nation poll: PM Modi's magic still

intact, 10 big takeaways

4 27.01.17 India Today India Today Mood of the Nation poll: Note or vote, India

banks on PM Modi

5 27.01.17 India Today Mood of the Nation poll: NDA would win 360 seats if polls

were conducted today

6 27.01.17 Zee News NDA to get 360 seats if General Elections held today; 65%

say Narendra Modi best suited to be PM: Survey

7 28.01.17 Aaj Tak ओपिनियि िोल: िोटबदंी का मोदी इफेक्ट, अभी चुिाव ...

8 30.01.17 India Today Mood of the Nation: All about India Today referendum on

Modi's ...

9 30.01.17 Scroll The big news: President accepts Meghalaya governor's

resignation ...

10 30.01.17 Navbharat Times सवे: अभी आम चुिाव हुए तो NDA को ममलेंगी 360 ...

11 31.01.17 Merinews Why PM Narendra Modi's popularity rising with each

passing day?

12 01.02.17 Business Standard SP-Congress alliance front runner in UP: Poll

Domain : The Financial Express

Date : January 27,2017

Demonetisation effect: PM Modi can win 360 seats, UPA just 60 if national polls are held today,

says survey

PM Narendra Modi’s popularity is increasing. (Reuters)

The mood of the nation is with Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led NDA government if an India Today-

Karvy survey is to be believed. According to the survey, Modi-led NDA can win as many as 360 seats if

General Elections are held today, while the Congress-led UPA would be restricted to 60 seats. The

survey shows that demonetisation decision of the Modi government has increased the PM’s popularity

all across the country.

The extensive survey was conducted across 19 states from the end of demonetisation deadline on

December 30 until January 9. It was found that the NDA can win up to 42% votes, that will translate into

360 seats in the Lok Sabha, if General Elections are held today. In contrast, Congress-led UPA can get

just 25% votes, while others can get up to 33% votes.

As far as the best Prime Ministerial candidate in the country is considered, PM Modi is way ahead of the

competitors with 65% votes in the survey. Modi’s popularity graph remained undisturbed throughout

2016 even in the face of a vicious campaign against him after demonetisation by opposition parties. In a

similar survey in August 2016, it was found that the NDA could win 40% seats, while now it has

increased up to 42%. This also shows there was no effect of demonetisation on his popularity as India’s

top leader.

http://www.financialexpress.com/elections/narendra-modi-can-win-360-seats-upa-congress-60-in-

general-elections-demonetisation-note-ban-effect/523822/

Domain : Quint

Date : 27.01.17

69% Prefer Modi as PM, 360 Seats for NDA in 2019: India Today Poll

Prime Minister Narendra Modi seems to have unbeaten popularity, even after demonetisation, with 69

percent saying that he is best suited as PM, according to the Mood of the Nation survey conducted by

India Today in collaboration with Karvy which was conducted across 19 states.

Rahul Gandhi trailed 55 points behind Modi.

The survey revealed that people believe that the Modi-led NDA can win as many as 360 seats in the

General Election, which is higher than what was predicted in August 2016 in a similar poll.

Thirty-two percent believe that Rahul Gandhi is the best alternative to PM Modi, while only 10% percent

favoured Arvind Kejriwal.

In the race for the best performing chief minister, Shivraj Chauhan ranks the highest, followed by Nitish

Kumar.

As many as 17 percent believe that Atal Bihar Vajpayee is the best prime minister compared to 9

percent who think Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru was the best PM.

A massive 80% people also endorse Modi ji’s demonetisation move and many believe it will help curb

black money.

68 percent of the people polled feel that the government should lower income tax rates in the

upcoming Budget, while 61 percent now want the NDA government to crack down on funding of

political parties.

The RBI’s image and credibility has been hit due to demonetisation, 53 percent of the respondents say.

Besides, 55 percent believe the move was a bad one or implemented badly and could have been done in

a better manner.

In the poll, 43% of the people said that India’s relationship with the US will improve under Donald

Trump.

https://www.thequint.com/politics/2017/01/26/65-percent-vote-for-pm-modi-as-best-leader-even-

after-note-ban-survey-mood-of-the-nation-demonetisation

Domain : India Today

Date : 27.01.17

India Today Mood of the Nation poll: PM Modi's demonetisation move gets a thumbs up, 10 big

takeaways

India Today's political opinion poll puts debates to rest on who will win if Lok

Sabha elections were to be held today

If in the August 2016 Mood of The Nation Poll (MOTN), Prime Minister Narendra Modi's fortunes

showed a mild upswing after the NDA's seat forecasts had fallen precipitously in two consecutive MOTN

polls, the January 2017 survey results bring glad tidings for the prime minister. It is the first major

opinion poll since demonetisation, and voters have given Modi an unambiguous thumbs up.

India Today has collaborated with Karvy Insights to bring you the latest MOTN political opinion poll

which clearly shows that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's magic is still intact.

So who will win 2019? Will the NDA continue to stay strong, or will a Bihar-style mahagathbandhan

conquer all? The results of the assembly polls in five states, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Goa

and Manipur will, of course, provide some indication.

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HERE ARE THE 10 BIG TAKEAWAYS

1. Were an election held today, the NDA would get 360 seats - a substantial gain of 56 seats over the

survey done in August. What is more, the BJP alone would bring in 305 seats, giving it a comfortable

majority in the Lok Sabha and making it less dependent on allies.

2. Modi's popularity ratings have also shown a remarkable surge: 65 per cent see him as best suited to be

prime minister, up by 15 percentage points since August and way ahead of his nearest rival, Rahul

Gandhi, who polled just 10 per cent of the votes.

3. As many as 45 per cent believe that demonetisation will help curb black money while another 35 per

cent feel it will help the economy. That is a solid 80 per cent who endorse PM Modi's demonetisation

move. This, despite 55 per cent feeling that the government could have planned it far better, and 51 per

cent opining that demonetisation had caused more pain than gain.

4. Such is the rise that Narendra Modi has been rated as the best prime minister the country has had so

far, scoring an even higher percentage of votes in his favour than two of the most popular former prime

ministers, Indira Gandhi and Atal Behari Vajpayee.

5. While PM Modi's demonetisation exercise received a mixed bag of response, his other initiatives like

Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan, Jan Dhan Yojana and Digital India made him super-cool. At least 27 per cent

thought that his performance in the office has been outstanding.

6. After almost a wash-out of the Winter Session in the Parliament due to demonisation, 39 per cent still

believe that it was UPA's fault for the Parliament stalemate.

7. While Narendra Modi, as leader of NDA, may be the most popular in the country, of the 29 state chief

ministers, the three most popular-Nitish Kumar in Bihar, Mamata Banerjee in Bengal and Arvind

Kejriwal in Delhi-are all from non-NDA parties.

8. Rahul Gandhi redux: His popularity may have waned since the last MOTN, but when asked to rate Rahul

Gandhi's performance as Congress vice president, 39 per cent approved of it as either good or

outstanding, compared to 33 per cent in August 2016. Rahul also scored positively on the question of

who can successfully challenge Modi in 2019: 28 per cent chose him over 23 per cent six months ago. He

scored much higher than Nitish, Kejriwal or even his own mother, Congress president Sonia Gandhi.

9. Who are the Others? It's obviously advantage NDA, with an increase of two percentage points over the

last MOTN in August 2016. The UPA's fortunes continue to plummet, its dismal 25 per cent popular vote

is a drop of a percentage point over the last MOTN. However, were the UPA to combine with most of

the parties in the amorphous Others, the two could add up to a significant 58 per cent, turning the tide

in the other direction.

10. 11 per cent of the voters still think that Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal will be the best person to

lead a third front or mahagathbandhan, followed closely by Nitish Kumar with 10 per cent.

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/india-today-mood-of-the-nation-poll-10-big-

takeaways/1/867477.html

Domain : India Today

Date : 27.01.17

India Today Mood of the Nation poll: Note or vote, India banks on PM Modi

These are the principal findings of the latest India Today Mood of the Nation opinion poll that also

registered widespread support for the government's demonetisation initiative and surgical strikes in

Pakistan occupied Kashmir.

Narendra Modi is best suited to be India's next Prime Minister and the ruling National Democratic

Alliance led by him would romp to power with 360 seats if Lok Sabha elections were held now. These are

the principal findings of the latest India Today Mood of the Nation opinion poll that also registered

widespread support for the government's demonetisation initiative and surgical strikes in Pakistan

occupied Kashmir.

Around two-thirds of the respondents see Modi as the top pick to become the next Prime Minister,

leading his nearest rival- Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi- by 55 percentage points. The latest

edition of the MOTN survey was conducted by market research firm Karvy Insights Limited across 19

states from the end of demonetisation deadline on December 30 until January 9. A total of 12,143

interviews were carried out (53% in rural & 47% in urban), spread across 97 parliamentary

constituencies in 194 assembly seats.

The study shows that there would be a three percentage point rise in the BJP's vote share, and 2 per

cent & 1 per cent drops in vote shares of Others and the Congress respectively. The BJP would get more

than 300 seats on its own if parliamentary elections were held now, with substantial gains since the

survey done in August.

The study shows that there would be a three percentage point rise in the BJP's vote share, and 2 per

cent & 1 per cent drops in vote shares of Others and the Congress respectively. The BJP would get more

than 300 seats on its own if parliamentary elections were held now, with substantial gains since the

survey done in August.

The PM's score has gone up 15 percentage points, is the highest ever in the past six surveys, and has

grown across all religions in the last three opinion polls.

People are also supporting Modi's performance as Prime Minister with 69% rating his performance as

either good or outstanding. That's a jump of 16 percentage points over the survey done six months ago.

Also, 1 out of every 4 respondents considers his performance to be "outstanding" this time, compared

to 9% in the edition six months ago and 16% in the survey done a year ago.

Modi also seems to have got the thumbs up from people on the issue of demonetisation as 45% of the

respondents believe that the ban on the old 500 and 1,000-rupee notes will help curb black money and

corruption while 35% also believe that it will be good for the economy.

However, 68% of the respondents feel that the government should lower income tax rates in this

Budget, post demonetisation, while 61% say the NDA government now needs to crack down on election

funding of political parties. 53% of the respondents believe that the confusion over demonetisation

rules has dented the image and credibility of the RBI, while 55% of the respondents believe that the

implementation of the scheme was bad or could have been better.

On whether the cash ban issue would help the BJP in the crucial Uttar Pradesh and Punjab polls, 56 per

cent of the respondents said "Yes".

ALSO WATCH: Mood of the Nation poll: PM Modi gains support. Did demonetisation, surgical strikes

pay off?

The Congress's antics in Parliament seem to have been keenly observed by the voters as 39 per cent of

the people feel that the grand old party and its allies are responsible for the stalemate.

Only 18 per cent respondents believe that the BJP and its allies are disrupting the functioning of the two

Houses.

On the issue of Pakistan, the Modi

government seems to have got the

people's endorsement as 58 per cent

of the survey respondents feel that

last year's surgical strikes were

much-needed to teach the rogue

neighbour a lesson.

"62% of the respondents feel that

the Modi government has handled

relations with Pakistan satisfactorily

or handled it well," the poll says.

The surgical strikes took place in

September where India's Para

Special Forces had crossed over into

Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir to

destroy terrorist launch pads there.

Bihar CM Nitish Kumar emerged as

the best performing chief minister in

the country while his Delhi

counterpart Arvind Kejriwal's

popularity ratings have come down

by half in the past six months.

Though Rahul Gandhi's popularity is

going down in comparison to

Narendra Modi, the Nehru-Gandhi scion emerged as the best alternative to PM Modi, with the backing

of 28 per cent respondents. Kumar and Kejriwal occupied the second and third positions respectively.

Gandhi's popularity has gone up over the survey done six months ago.

The survey also found the popularity of Kejriwal has come down since August. No leader emerged as a

strong choice to lead a mahagathbandhan, or grand alliance. 11 per cent of the people felt that Kejriwal

is the best bet to lead a third front/mahagathbandhan, but his score has dipped since the last survey.

The Modi government's Swachh Bharat Abhiyan is its most popular initiative with the endorsement of

27 per cent of the respondents. With 16 per cent votes, Jan Dhan Yojana was the second most

successful programme, followed by Digital India at 12 per cent.

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/india-today-mood-of-the-nation-demonetisation-note-ban-prime-

minister/1/867563.html

Domain : India Today

Date : 27.01.17

The India Today-Karvy Insights Mood of the Nation poll suggests that if a general

election were to be held today, the NDA would win 360 seats. This is 26 more than its

current 334 and 56 more than what the previous MOTN survey, done in August 2016,

showed.

As Raj Chengappa, Group Editorial Direction (Publishing), India Today Group, points

out, the new survey covers two major events - the September 2016 surgical strikes and

the November 2016 demonetisation annoucement. The numbers, thus, could indicate a

ringing endorsement of both of the government's high-risk decisions.

Yogendra Yadav, a psephologist and national president of Swaraj India, BJP national

spokesperson Nalin Kohli, Mohd. Salim an CPI (M) MP and Congress spoksperson

Dinesh Gundu Rao join Rajdeep Sardesai who breaks down the numbers from the

latest poll. Other questions asked in this poll include who is best suited to be the next

prime minister, who is the best alternative to PM Modi, how the people rate PM

Modi's performance so far and who are the best performing chief ministers.

Domain : Zee News

Date : 27.01.17

NDA to get 360 seats if General Elections held today; 65% say Narendra Modi best suited to be PM:

Survey

Delhi: In a recent poll, held in January 2017, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been given a major

thumbs up by the voters.

India Today-Karvy Insights' MOTN political opinion poll shows that PM Modi's popularity is still intact.

Following are some of the highlights of the poll:

- If the General Elections were to be held today, the NDA would get 360 seats and the BJP alone would

bring in 305 seats.

- 65 percent people see PM Modi as best suited to be the prime minister.

- Rahul Gandhi got 10 percent of the votes.

- 45 percent believe that demonetisation will help curb black money and 35 percent feel it will help the

economy.

- 80 percent endorse PM Modi's demonetisation move.

- 55 percent feel that the government could have planned it better and 51 percent say that

demonetisation had caused more pain than gain.

- Interestingly, Narendra Modi has been rated as the best prime minister the country has had so far.

- PM Modi scored an higher percentage of votes in his favour than former PMs Indira Gandhi and Atal

Behari Vajpayee.

- At least 27 percent think that PM Modi's performance in the office has been outstanding.

- 39 percent believe that it was UPA's fault for the Parliament stalemate in the Winter Session.

- While PM Modi is the most popular in the country, of the 29 state CMs, the three most popular - Nitish

Kumar in Bihar, Mamata Banerjee in Bengal and Arvind Kejriwal in Delhi - are all from non-NDA parties.

- When asked to rate Rahul Gandhi's performance as Congress vice president, 39 percent approved of it

as either good or outstanding.

- On the other hand, on the question of who can successfully challenge PM Modi in 2019, 28 percent

chose Rahul and he scored higher than Nitish, Kejriwal or even Congress president Sonia Gandhi.

- 11 percent of the voters think Kejriwal will be the best person to lead a third front or

mahagathbandhan.

- Meanwhile, Nitish Kumar polled 10 percent.

http://zeenews.india.com/india/nda-to-get-360-seats-if-general-elections-held-today-65-say-narendra-

modi-best-suited-to-be-pm-survey_1970948.html

Domain : Aaj Tak

Date : 28.01.17

इंडिया टुि ेओपिनियि िोल: आज चुिाव हुए तो NDA को 360 सीटें, PM मोदी की भी बढी लोकपियता

िोटबदंी के बाद कें द्र की मोदी सरकार की लोकपियता में और इजाफा हुआ है. इंडिया टुि ेऔर कावी इिसाइट्स के सवे

में मोदी सरकार की कररश्माई छपव बरकरार है. ओपिनियि िोल के मतुाबबक अगर अभी हुए चुिाव तो NDA को 360

सीटों िर जीत ममल सकती है. यही िहीं, सवे में िीएम मोदी के ग्राफ में भी उछाल देखा गया. 65 फीसदी लोगों िे िरेंद्र

मोदी को िधािमतं्री िद के मलए सबसे बेहतर चेहरा बताया.

मोदी सरकार का जाद ूबरकरार

इंडिया टुि ेआिके मलए KARVY INSIGHTS के साथ ममलकर एक बार फफर मिू ऑफ द िेशि िोल (एमओटीएि) सवे

लाया है, जजसके मतुाबबक अगर मौजूदा वक्त में लोकसभा चुिाव हो जाए ंतो एििीए को 360 ममलेंगी, जो फक अगस्त

में हुए सवे से 56 सीटें ज्यादा हैं. यहां एक और बात अहम है फक बीजेिी को अकेल े305 सीटें ममल सकती हैं, जो फक

लोकसभा में उस ेस्िष्ट बहुमत देत ेहुए गठबधंि सहयोगगयों िर उसकी निभभरता खत्म देगी. Ads by ZINC

एििीए को 42 फीसदी वोट का अिमुाि

देश के 19 राज्यों में 12,143 लोगों िर फकए गए इस सवे के मतुाबबक, अगर अभी चुिाव हुए तो एििीए को 42% वोट

ममलेंग,े वहीं यिूीए को 25%, जबफक अन्य के खात ेमें 33% वोट जाता ददखा. इस तरह यिूीए को 60 सीटें, जबफक

अन्य को 123 सीटें ममलिे का अिमुाि है.

िीएम मोदी की लोकपियता बढी

इस सवे में िधािमतं्री मोदी की लोकपियता में भी खासा उछाल देखि ेको ममला. इस बार 65 फीसदी लोगों िे उन्हें

िधािमतं्री िद के मलए सबसे िसदंीदा उम्मीदवार मािा. मोदी की यह लोकपियता अगस्त महीिे में हुए पिछल ेसवे के

मकुाबले 15 फीसदी ज्यादा है. जबफक राहुल गांधी की अगर बात करें, तो सवे में शाममल लोगों में से केवल 10 फीसदी

िे उन्हें अििी िसदं बताया है, जबफक 4% लोगों िे सोनिया गांधी को िसदं फकया है.

िीएम िद के मलए िसदंीदा उम्मीदवार के मामल ेमें समाजवादी िाटी के मखुखया मलुायम मसहं को 1 फीसदी और

बीएसिी िमखु मायावती को भी 1 फीसदी लोगों िे िसदं फकया. वहीं मोदी कैबबिेट में पवत्तमतं्री अरुण जेटली को 2

फीसदी लोग, जबफक बीजेिी चीफ अममत शाह और िजश्चम बगंाल की मखु्यमतं्री ममता बिजी को 1 फीसदी िे

अििी िसदं बताया. इसके अलावा पियकंा गांधी, अरपवदं केजरीवाल और िीतीश कुमार को 2-2 फीसदी लोगों िे

िीएम िद के मलए अििा िसदंीदा उम्मीदवार बताया.

िीएम मोदी के पवकल्ि के तौर िर ये िेता

उधर िीएम मोदी के खखलाफ तीसरे पवकल्ि के रूि में 11 फीसदी लोगों िे अरपवदं केजरीवाल को अििी िसदं मािा

है, जबफक 10 फीसदी लोग िीतीश कुमार की लीिरमशि में तीसरे मोच ेका बेहतर भपवष्य देखत ेहैं. वहीं िीएम मोदी के

पवकल्ि के तौर िर 13 लोग िीतीश कुमार को अििी िसदं माित ेहैं, जबफक 10 फीसदी लोग केजरीवाल को मोदी के

पवकल्ि के तौर िर देखत ेहैं.

िीएम मोदी और एििीए सरकार का कामकाज

िधािमतं्री के रूि में िीएम मोदी के िदशभि को 69 फीसदी लोगों िे अच्छा मािा है, जजिमें 27 फीसदी लोगों की िजर

में िीएम मोदी का िदशभि बेहद अच्छा रहा. वहीं 19 फीसदी लोगों िे मोदी के काम को औसत करार ददया है, जबफक 3

फीसदी लोगों िे खराब और 6 फीसदी िे बेहद खराब करार ददया है. इसके साथ ही 71% लोगों िे एििीए सरकार के

काम की सराहिा की है, वहीं सवे में शाममल 7% लोगों िे सरकार के कामकाज को खराब बताया है.

िोटबदंी िर भरिरू समर्थि

इस सवे में िोटबदंी के फैसले को भी लोगों का भरिरू समथभि ममलता ददखा. सवे में शाममल 45 फीसदी लोगों िे मािा

है फक िोटबदंी से कालेधि और भ्रष्टाचार िर लगाम लगेगी, जबफक 35 फीसदी िे इस ेअथभव्यवस्था के मलए अच्छा

करार ददया. इस तरह 80 फीसद लोग िधािमतं्री के इस कदम के समथभि में ददख.े हालांफक यहां 7 फीसदी लोगों को

लगता है फक इससे अथभव्यवस्था कमजोर होगी, जबफक 7 फीसदी लोग इस ेपविक्ष को कमजोर करिे की मसफभ चुिावी

चाल करार दे रहे हैं. वहीं िोटबदंी िर अमल के सवाल िर 19 फीसदी िे इस ेबहुत खराब करार ददया, जबफक 36

फीसदी लोगों िे कहा फक यह और बेहतर हो सकता था. वहीं 37 फीसदी लोगों को लगता है िोटबदंी का फैसला बहुत

अच्छे से अमल में लाया गया. सवे में शाममल 58 फीसदी लोगों िे इस फैसले से कैशलेस इकॉिमी को बढावा ममलिे

की उम्मीद जताई, जबफक 34 फीसदी माित ेहैं फक इससे कोई खास असर िहीं होिे वाला है

http://aajtak.intoday.in/story/india-today-mood-of-the-nation-poll-were-an-election-held-today-nda-

would-get-360-loksabha-seats-1-908928.html

Domain : India Today

Date : 30.01.17

On the money

A referendum on his move to demonetise currency, the India Today-Karvy Insights survey gives

Narendra Modi a ringing endorsement. But it also warns the PM about the lack of jobs and inflation.

Let's begin with what Narendra Modi is not. Whatever his opponents may say, the prime minister is not

impetuous or hasty in any of his actions. Nor is he a gambler ever willing to risk all on a hunch and a

prayer.

Then let's look at what Modi is. Those who know him well and work with him closely say the man is a

doer. He is a tough task master. He is open to ideas. His critics call him authoritarian, but ministers and

bureaucrats who have dealt with him on issues beg to disagree with them. They say the prime minister

is curious, asks pertinent questions and is ever willing to consider their suggestions. He has a strong

sense of wanting to do the right thing and working out the rationale for a decision.

However, once Modi is convinced, he is decisive and exhibits courage, toughness and resilience to

implement his ideas. His sense of timing has so far been impeccable. For Modi, there are no half

measures. Or full stops. Another piece of advice: Never take him lightly-he means what he says.

Ads by ZINC

The latest India Today-Karvy Insights Mood of the Nation (MOTN) poll vindicates this assessment of the

prime minister. If in the August 2016 MOTN, Modi's fortunes showed a mild upswing after the NDA's

seat forecasts had fallen precipitously in two consecutive MOTN polls, the January 2017 survey results

bring glad tidings for the prime minister. It is the first major opinion poll since demonetisation, and

voters have given Modi an unambiguous thumbs up. Were an election held today, the NDA would get

360 seats-a substantial gain of 56 seats over the survey done in August. What is more, the BJP tally alone

would bring in 305 seats, giving it a comfortable majority in the Lok Sabha and making it less dependent

on its allies (see accompanying charts).

Modi's popularity ratings have also shown a remarkable surge: 65 per cent see him as best suited to be

prime minister, up by 15 percentage points since August and way ahead of his nearest rival Rahul

Gandhi who polled just 10 per cent of the votes. And the percentage of people who rated his

performance as good to outstanding rose to 69 as compared to 53 per cent six months ago. Such is the

rise that Modi for the first time since he assumed office in 2014 is rated as the best prime minister the

country has had, scoring an even higher percentage of votes in his favour than two of the most popular

former prime ministers, Indira Gandhi and Atal Behari Vajpayee.

Last August, when Modi had bounced back in the reckoning, the reasons were clear: he had formulated

a dhoti-kurta budget that was pro-poor and pro-farmer even while being supportive of business-a fine

balancing act. He had effected a reshuffle of his team which sent a signal that he was unafraid to crack

the whip. He had also successfully piloted the Goods

and Services Tax (GST) bill through both houses of

Parliament showing a new face of accommodation to

the Opposition.

Since the August poll, Modi has made two major

moves: one on the foreign policy front when in the

last week of September he ordered surgical strikes

deep inside Pakistan-occupied Kashmir to warn

Pakistan against abetting terror attacks. And then in

November he exploded the demonetisation bomb that sent shockwaves across India and the world. The

Opposition decried demonetisation as catastrophic to the economy. But Modi remained steadfast in his

resolve and maintained that the people of India-the sava crore deshvasis (125 crore citizens)-were

backing him to the hilt.

Modi's faith in the Indian people stands vindicated in the latest MOTN. As many as 45 per cent believe

that demonetisation will help curb black money while another 35 per cent feel it will help the economy.

That is a solid 80 per cent who endorse his demonetisation move. This, despite 55 per cent feeling that

the government could have planned it far better, and 51 per cent opining that demonetisation had

caused more pain than gain.

What is the reason behind this paradoxical

support for Modi's radical measures? Join the dots

and you find that there was nothing impulsive

about Modi's decision to impose demonetisation

of high-value currency. He had come to power in

2014 vowing to curb black money and recover

kala dhan stashed in bank accounts abroad. When

he took office, his government moved swiftly to

tackle black money stashed in foreign banks and

followed it up with a voluntary disclosure scheme

back home. He had warned those who didn't

comply of the dire consequences. Those who

didn't would soon regret it.

Meanwhile, Modi launched a stupendous drive to

expand Jan Dhan accounts to the vast unbanked population of the country. In doing so, he was laying

the foundation for the massive digital cash drive that was to follow. And then, when everyone least

expected it, he unleashed the demonetisation genie in November with ostensible multiple objectives

that included mopping up black money, wiping out fake currency and crippling terror financing.

Demonetisation, however, was more than just an

economic tool. Modi would wield it as a powerful

political weapon to initiate social engineering of a

scale not seen since the Mandal movement in the

late 1980s. Modi had ridden to power astride a

development horse, but had become acutely aware

of its limited ability to mobilise the masses again.

Defeats in Delhi, and then more crucially in Bihar,

signalled that his magic was wearing thin. Even

Hindutva agendas like mandir and gau raksha were

yielding diminishing returns.

Source: Vikram Sharma

Modi and his advisors then decided to focus on issues that while ensuring national good would also get

them broad-based support. Issues that went over and beyond the usual caste, religious and linguistic

divides. His development agenda was one such unifying force. But now an even more powerful one

would be his decision to demonetise currency in one

fell swoop. It would instantly pit the rich against the

poor-the classic amir-garib stand-off. The have-nots

would see the outcome as the haves getting their

comeuppance. The underprivileged would applaud

demonetisation even though most of them would

have to undergo harsher travails for getting cash than

the well-to-do.

In Team Modi's calculus, demonetisation would enable them to appropriate the Congress's pro-poor

plank and help the BJP shed its pro-merchant class image. It would also rob Arvind Kejriwal and the Aam

Aadmi Party of their exclusive branding as prime crusaders against corruption. By pushing for digitisation

of currency, Modi could also project himself as the great moderniser who is working towards making

India a leading power of the 21st century by building on such nationalistic ideals as Make in India. His

muscular approach towards Pakistan in launching surgical strikes into PoK was another demonstration of

his quest to project India as a strong country and bolster his image of being a tough, no-nonsense prime

minister.

His opponents frothed at the mouth and denounced

demonetisation as a purely short-term political move

by him to influence the outcome of the crucial Uttar

Pradesh assembly polls. They also predicted that

apart from rendering millions in the informal sector

jobless, demonetisation would cause irreversible

damage to the economy. To the NDA government's

credit, despite people having to wait in long queues in front of banks and facing an acute shortage of

cash, there were no major incidents of violence or rioting. Modi himself remained super-cool, telling

india today, "If you act with clarity and with the purest of motives, the results will be there for all to

see." The MOTN findings are a vindication of Modi's assessment that despite the pains they had to

undergo, people wholeheartedly supported the demonetisation move. The respondents also lauded the

fact that he was not afraid to take big risks.

Yet, despite the positive findings, there is no reason

for Modi to be complacent. The poll reveals that

unemployment and corruption remain the two issues

that concern people the most. These were followed

by price rise and a new phenomenon-shortage of

cash. The number of people who believe that

unemployment has become worse in the country

since Modi took over remains a high 36 per cent. Concern about inflation shows a slight decline but is

overall still very high. And people expect Modi to take more steps to curb corruption, especially among

netas.

Also, there is no guarantee that Modi could win the UP assembly elections for his party on the basis of

support for demonetisation. In an assembly poll, usually local issues, caste combinations and state

leaders dominate. The prime minister, though, has a Union budget coming up shortly which he could

use to address some of the key concerns, particularly the lack of jobs. Modi has shown that when the

task is difficult and the challenges numerous, he is able to come out on top by creating new

opportunities while pursuing older objectives relentlessly. Fortune, they say, favours the brave. So far,

that adage holds true for Narendra Modi.

methodology

The India Today-Karvy Insights Mood of the Nation

(MOTN) poll was conducted by Karvy Insights Limited.

The most comprehensive survey conducted

nationwide, it is a verdict on demonetisation. A total

of 12,143 interviews (53 per cent in rural and 47 per

cent in urban areas) were conducted across 97

parliamentary constituencies in 194 assembly

constituencies in 19 states: Andhra Pradesh, Assam,

Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Gujarat, Haryana,

Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh,

Maharashtra, Odisha, Punjab, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu,

Telangana, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal. Different

starting points were selected in each of the assembly constituencies and a fixed number of interviews

conducted at each starting point following a rigorous

right hand rule of household selection.

The fieldwork for the Mood of the Nation poll was

conducted between December 30, 2016 and January

9, 2017. All interviews were carried out face to face

using a standard structured interview schedule/

questionnaire, which was translated into regional

languages.

The poll was conducted under the supervision of

Ranjit Chib, chairman of Karvy Insights, and he was

assisted by Dixit Chanana, vice-president of Karvy Insights.

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/india-today-karvy-insights-survey-narendra-modi-

demonetisation/1/866771.html

Domain : Navbharat Times

Date : 30.01.17

सवे: अभी आम चुिाव हुए तो NDA को ममलेंगी 360 सीटें, 69% लोगों िे PM मोदी के काम को सराहा

िईददल्ली

कें द्र की सत्ता में एििीए सरकार के गठि को ढाई साल बीत चुके हैं, लेफकि अब भी उसकी लोकपियता बिी हुई है।

इंडिया टुि ेग्रिु और KARVY INSIGHTS के सवे के मतुाबबक यदद मौजूदा वक्त में लोकसभा चुिाव हो जाए ंतो एििीए

360 सीटों के साथ कें द्र की सत्ता में लौट सकता है। यिूीए को 60 और अन्य को 123 सीटें ममलिे का अिमुाि है। 19

राज्यों में 12,143 लोगों िर फकए गए सवे के मतुाबबक यदद तत्काल चुिाव होता है तो बीजेिी की लीिरमशि वाले

एििीए को 42 िसेंट वोट ममलेंगे, जबफक कांग्रेस के िेततृ्व वाले यिूीए गठबधंि को महज 25 िसेंट वोट ही ममल

सकें गे।

हालांफक यिूीए की तलुिा में अन्य दल मजबतूी से उभरत े ददख रहे हैं और इन्हें 33 िसेंट मत वोट ममल सकत ेहैं।

िधािमतं्री के तौर िर िीएम मोदी के के कामकाज को 69 िसेंट लोगों िे अच्छा मािा है। 19 फीसदी लोगों िे मोदी के

काम को औसत करार ददया है, जबफक 3 िसेंट लोगों िे खराब और 6 फीसदी िे बेहद खराब करार ददया है। हालांफक

एििीए सरकार के काम को 71 फीसदी लोगों िे सराहा है। 97 ससंदीय और 194 पवधािसभा क्षेत्रों में फकए गए सवे के

मतुाबबक यदद अभी चुिाव होता है तो िीएम उम्मीदवार के तौर िर िीएम मोदी सबसे बेहतर पवकल्ि होंगे।

िीएम उम्मीदवार के तौर िर 65 फीसदी लोगों िे िरेंद्र मोदी को चुिा है। वहीं, राहुल गांधी को 10 फीसदी और सोनिया

गांधी को 4 िसेंट लोगों िे अििी िसदं बताया है। समाजवादी िाटी के मखुखया मलुायम मसहं को 1 िसेंट और बीएसिी

चीफ माया को भी एक िसेंट लोगों िे िीएम उम्मीदवार की िसदं बताया है। मोदी कैबबिेट में पवत्त मतं्री अरुण जेटली

को 2 िसेंट लोग िीएम िद का दावेदार माित ेहैं, जबफक बीजेिी चीफ अममत शाह और बगंाल की सीएम ममता

बिजी 1 िसेंट लोगों की िसदं हैं। केजरीवाल, पियकंा गांधी और िीतीश कुमार को 2 िसेंट लोगों िे चुिा है।

http://navbharattimes.indiatimes.com/india/nda-will-get-360-loksabha-seats-if-election-held-at-

present/articleshow/56798874.cms

Domain : Merinews

Date : 31.01.17

Why PM Narendra Modi's popularity rising with each passing day? 5

A latest survey done by India Today-Karvy Insights to know the mood of the nation shows that Narendra

Modi's approval rate is 65%, a very high figure for a PM who is in the office for more than two and half

years. The rating is all time high surpassing his rating of 57% back in August 2014.

Here one thing may also be noted that his rating during August 2016 was just 50% and took a jump of

another 15% even during the demonetisation drive.

The survey even predicted that if Lok Sabha elections takes place now, then NDA will get around 360

seats (42% vote share) which is around 22 seats more than their wining total in May 2019. I wouldn't go

in to probable seats as those are merely permutation and combination. In any case the general election

scenario is very hypothetical now and it is not going to happen before 2019.

Point to deliberate is, why Narendra Modi is so popular? How he is able to maintain his popularity so

well despite some hard decisions (bitter pills). Is it failure of the opposition parties in offering a counter

narrative or Modi is a very smart politician to establish an unbeatable narrative?

Well, there is no doubt that opposition has its role in maintaining Narendra Modi's image and

popularity, but then his style of working has also played a key role in it.

Even his bashers knew that Narendra Modi is a hard working politician with a no-nonsense attitude. His

intent to upkeep the nation's interest is unquestionable. He also proved that he can take tough

decisions for any outcome. His sudden visit to Pakistan while returning back from Afghanistan proved

how daring he is and the surgical strike against Pakistan proved that how committed he is.

Many opposition leaders call him a dictator. But then he understands that BJP came to power because

of the faith people have in PM Modi. Thus anything and everything done by the BJP/NDA government is

to be viewed and scrutinised as if it's Modi's work.

He never took shelter under any excuse for any failure or an unexpected outcome citing other's fault. He

owned everything. One more thing he did is, he kept talking to citizens. His radio programme 'Mann Ki

Baat', use of social media and addressing frequent rallies have brought him closer to the public. No

prime minister of India had close public contact like Narendra Modi is having.

I have come across people who sent copies of their grievances to the PMO and got acknowledgement

and also a further follow up. Interestingly, even if in a case the addressee is state government, still PMO

does the follow up, whereas the state governments not even acknowledge the receipt of the grievances.

Indian public is not fool. They know that things can't be changed overnight. But they appreciate PM's

effort and such appreciation speaks high in such polls.

An anti-Modi supporter (who too is a friend of mine) confessed one day that had it not Narendra Modi,

the demonetisation would have resulted in to rebellion, unrest, violent protests and chaos within two

weeks of declaration of the demonetisation. Trust in Modi refrained people from opposing

demonetisation despite suffering pain. The opposition wanted to provoke the public, but as a mature

leader Narendra Modi kept a close contact with public through various rallies and other responsive

actions, and the demonetisation period passed peacefully. Many are wondering how it became possible.

That's perhaps the hall mark of the persona of Narendra Modi - the statesman.

Where opposition went wrong? Let me give a simple example. In Odisha, chief minister Naveen Patnaik

is not popular. But he is set to win all future elections till he is alive. Why? It's because the opposition

parties in Odisha lack credibility factor. If the opposition lacks credibility, then even a non-popular yet

established leader will always be appreciated and elected.

In national polity, the opposition has not improved its credibility, rather their credibility is falling with

each passing day. The frequent blockages in Parliament create a perception that the opposition does not

want PM Modi to work properly. Various alliances between opposition parties just to oppose BJP in

state elections is beyond one's understanding.

The opposition parties need to do a lot of introspection. They must play a constructive opposition's role.

You shouldn't oppose just for the sake of opposing. The ambiguity in supporting/opposing post surgical

strike and demonetisation in fact made opposition parties lose lot of credibility.

Point is simple. I am not telling that Narendra Modi is doing everything right. He is a human and human

is to err. But Narendra Modi is daring, committed and hard working statesman whereas the opposition

perhaps has not yet come out from their anti-Modi mind set to perform as a constructive opposition.

In last 16 years, it has been proved that the more you will abuse Modi, more he will be stronger in the

eyes of the public. It's time for the opposition to find a better way to puncture the popularity of

Narendra Modi. In the meantime, Modi is on his way to establish himself as a powerful Indian leader.

Read more at: http://www.merinews.com/article/why-pm-narendra-modis-popularity-rising-with-each-

passing-day/15922598.shtml&cp

Domain : Business Standard

Date : 01.02.17

SP-Congress alliance front runner in UP: Poll 491

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and Samajwadi Party President Akhilesh Yadav with Congress Vice-

President Rahul Gandhi during their road show in Lucknow

The pollsters are divided on who will take power in politically crucial Uttar Pradesh (UP), with an ABP

News-Lokniti-CSDS survey projecting the Samajwadi Party (SP)-Congress alliance as front runner.

The Week-Hansa poll predicted a hung Assembly, with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) just ahead of the

SP-Congress alliance.

According to Lokniti-CSDS for ABP News survey done in January, the SP-Congress alliance is set to gain

near majority in UP, with 187-197 seats of the total 403 seats and around 35 per cent vote share.

The BJP is getting 118-128 seats, with 29 per cent vote share. The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) is getting

76-86 seats and 23 per cent vote share.

In contrast, The Week-Hansa survey put the BJP tally at 192-196 seats and the SP-Congress at 178-182

seats. The BSP was shown getting just 20-24 seats.

Further, while the ABP News-Lokniti-CSDS survey said support for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s

demonetisation in UP is up from 35 per cent to 41 per cent in the past one month, the ‘mood of the

nation’ survey done by India Today-Karvy, too, said Modi-led National Democratic Alliance can win as

many as 360 of the 543 Lok Sabha seats, if the national elections were held today.

The survey conducted across 19 states credited demonetisation behind the surge in Modi’s popularity.

The Congress-led United Progressive Alliance would be restricted to 60 seats, it said.

According to the ABP News-CSDS-Lokniti survey, Modi remains popular in UP, with a 70 per cent

approval rating.

However, the ABP News-Lokniti-CSDS survey said Akhilesh Yadav is the most popular chief ministerial

candidate in UP, with 26 per cent respondents wanting him in the top post, followed by BSP chief

Mayawati, who got 21 per cent votes.

In 2012, the SP had swept the polls, with 29 per cent of the votes, leaving the BSP far behind, though the

party had garnered 26 per cent votes.

Significantly, the poll shows the SP-Congress leading in all regions of the state, except the areas close to

Delhi, where the BJP leads.In terms of caste and community support, not only is the SP-Congress alliance

getting three-fourths support from its core voters – the Muslims and the Yadavs - it is also picking up

about one-fifth votes from communities that have traditionally backed its rivals.

In Punjab, the India Today-Axis poll gave the Congress a majority, with 56-62 seats in the 117-member

Assembly, while it gave 36-41 seats to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and just 18-22 to the Shiromani Akali

Dal (SAD)-BJP combine.Against this, the survey done by ABP News-Lokniti-CSDS gave 50-58 seats to SAD-

BJP, 41-49 to Congress and 12 -18 to AAP.

http://www.business-standard.com/article/politics/sp-congress-alliance-front-runner-in-up-poll-117013101145_1.html

Electronic Coverage

Index

No Date Channel

1 26.01.17 Aaj Tak

2 26.01.17 India Today

Domain : Aaj Tak

Date : 26.01.17

https://we.tl/zjsh1MqgWi

Domain : India Today

Date : 26.01.17

https://we.tl/jsP04Zb6Xb