KEY TAKEAWAYS

Congress leads over BJP in Rajasthan among rural voters and farmers, while BJP is comfortably ahead in Chhattisgarh, according to a pre-poll survey by Delhi-based Centre for the Study of Developing Societies (CSDS) —Lokniti Overall support levels for Congress and BJP in keeping with the popularity of their potential chief ministerial candidates In Chhattisgarh, chief minister Raman Singh’s popularity appears to have surged ahead of second placed Ajit Jogi, who has floated his own party and is fighting in alliance with the BSP, and senior Congress leader Bhupesh Baghel.

Forty percent of the respondents in Rajasthan wanted to see either Ashok Gehlot or Sachin Pilot of the Congress as the next chief minister, which is eight percentage points more than the figure for Vasundhara Raje, the current BJP CM

Inability to develop or retain influential regional-level leaders with strong support bases one of the main reasons behind Congress’ political decline