‘BJP has an edge, but a tough fight is possible’

Time is ‘not far’ for J&K to get Statehood, says Modi Satisfaction levels with the NDA government remain significant but numbers have come down since the 2019 prepoll survey; while 48% respondents back Modi, 27% back Rahul Gandhi for PM

Prime Minister Narendra Modi focused on the promise to restore Statehood and hold Assembly election in Jammu and Kashmir at a rally for the Lok Sabha election on Friday, though he did not offer any concrete timeline for the same. Instead, he extolled the positive impact of the abrogation of Article 370 and targeted the Opposition INDIA bloc’s leaders for their “Mughal mindset”.

“The time is not far for the Assembly election and restoration of Statehood to J&K. People will soon have their Ministers and legislators. It’s through them that people will fulfil their desires and dreams and walk on a new path of development,” he said at a rally in the UdhampurDoda constituency in Jammu. hree weeks before the 2024 general election was to commence, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) enjoyed a comfortable 12 percentage point lead over the rival alliance, INDIA, according to the CSDSLokniti prepoll survey.

The Narendra Modi factor continues to play a major role in providing the NDA with its advantage. However, livelihoodrelated issues are emerging as major concerns in this election. Dissatisfaction over unemployment and inflation among sections of society indicates that a tough fight is on the cards.

While a significant share of people continues to be satisfied with the NDA government, the numbers have come down compared to the 2019 prepoll survey. Before the 2019 polls, 65% said they were “somewhat” or “fully” satisfied with the government. In 2024, the share of such respondents has come down to 57%. The share of those “somewhat” or “fully” dissatisfied has increased from 30% to 39%. Notably, the degree

Tof satisfaction was markedly lower among the southern regions compared to the north and the west.

Three factors

The decrease in satisfaction stems from inflation, increasing unemployment and poverty — the top three “least popular initiatives” of the Modi government, according to the survey. Especially, if only voters favouring the Opposition were considered, more than half of them cited these three factors as “least liked work of Mr.

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