India's scandal-hit government still poll favourite
Despite mounting popular discontent over a string of graft scandals, 38 percent of Indians would vote for the ruling coalition led by the Congress party, instead of the opposition led by the rival Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
"In the absence of a credible alternative, the unhappy public turns back to the ruling party," explained social scientist Yogendra Yadav of the New Delhi-based Centre for the Study of Developing Societies which conducted the "State of the Nation" poll last month.
The survey, conducted for television networks CNN-IBN and CNBC-TV18, saw more than 20,000 Indians cast their votes in state-level and national-level 'dummy' elections.
The government maintained a 12 percentage point gap over the main opposition, the same lead by which it came to power in the 2009 national elections.
The poll also showed that the Congress party's Rahul Gandhi, scion of the Nehru-Gandhi political dynasty, is the favourite choice to be the country's next prime minister.
The government has come under fire recently for scandals over last year's overspent Commonwealth Games and the tainted sale of telecom licences, said to have cost the treasury up to $40 billion in lost revenues.
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@N.S: 1 Good thing 99 bad things. Stupid people still vote for instantaneous gains. How does growth rate help? A mafia gaining 100% more and poors losing 10% also shows positive growth
India needs Hon.Narendra Modi. Thats all
What an "Odd Couple"! If polls are so sanguine, then why is this pair so glum? Perk up, man. It is not as if you are going to fight an election! About the other, the less said, the better!
@pl/sql Pakistani parties have gotten to be like Indian parties faster than Indian parties got there! Bad habits are easier to learn than good habits. Where are Pakistani civic groups like India's Janaagraha, Lok Satta etc?! Where is an anticorruption protest movement like India's? BJP is corrupt as well. Remember Tehelka's first bust? What about the goings on in Karnataka?
Yeah right. So finally again India has come under Imperialistic rule and it took The whole Nehru and off springs just 65 years to bring India under their family rule. As we all know the next Prime Minister we will be implied with will be Rahul Gandhi. This is sick. Right now every Indian should take to streets join Anna Hazare and over throw the Congress and each of their corrupt officials. Also make sure a rationale ombudsman bill is set. We need a law and order overhaul. I was surprised when I found certain IPC rules dates back to 1929 , am sure there may be few more which were much older than that. What many of us dont understand or happily ignore is that these laws were set by Britishers to protect themselves from common Indians. Those rules saved all the ministers and kept them above the law so they cannt be punished for the crimes they did against citizens. THIS HAS TO GO. Else all the effort by freedom fighter will go in vain and we will be ruled again by Gandhi monarchy. Peace to all.
I'd rather vote for a Pakistani party in India than for Congress Party. Their trick is to have MM Singh as a front man to gain public confidence and carry out corruption in the background. Pathetic party.
India is stuck in lesser evil politics. BJP would do better if it wasn't a casteist communal hate propagating party.
@Sahani:
It's people with fundamentalist views like this who are the reason that India broke into 3 parts.
You fundamentalists (Hindu, Muslim, Christian) are the bane of any civilized society.
In the present day scenario in India, no single party can achieve majority on its own but will require help from other regional parties. Congress being a secular party will receive support from other secular minded parties whereas BJP who has always been a loner will be left high and dry.
Indians and pakistanis are nothing different... We always vote for the corrupt..
This survey shows Hindus are still in the spell of slavery and dynasty rile persists. Dyaasty cost us 1/3 land to Muslims now pakistan and bangladesh all hindus in that areas killed or converted while in india minority apeasement( $ marraiges allowed ) their population has doubled. Another breaking of india is certain unless india is a hindu nation.
the growth rate of more than eight percent cannot be called as slowing growth rate from previous years. this government has done some bad things but some good things are also happening in India
The numbers just don't add up. Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Bihar, Orissa where there will be a Congress wipe out send ~200 of the 543 MP's. Where will the Congress MP's win to form a government? In Space?
There is one other poll taken by India Today magazine, which predicts the opposite result. That has to be taken with a pinch of salt, too...
One thing is sure... Whether the Congress rules or the BJP rules, India will maintain an 8% GDP growth on average...
No choice Democrat or Republican.
a bogus poll. A recent poll put BJP ahead.