Mr Modi has won two successive electoral victories in support of a prodigiously funded and well-oiled bharatiya janata party (BJP). His strong Hindu nationalist foundations were formed, and his opponents were shown abundant charisma and guile. Luck was on his side, too. His supporters forgiven him for reckless mistakes like demonetisation – a low-performing post-pandemic economy. All these do not seem to have diminished support. His luck was also contributed to the absence of robust opposition.
Modi's indisputable popularity nose-diving?
A new 14,600-seater poll, which was held in July, indicated that only 24% of respondents saw India's next prime minister as the 70-year-old leader "very suitable." The next election is scheduled for 2024. So far, Mr Modi has been having a terrible year. After his government maliciously managed the tragic second Covid wave, where tens of thousands of people perished, his carefully-built image received global pounding. The economic situation is challenging: inflation is high, the price of fuel has risen and jobs and spending are squeezing.
Apart from the pandemic, the poll gives another indication as to why Mr Modi's popularity may fall. The two worries were inflation and job shortage - over a third of respondents claimed that the inability to keep prices low was the worst failure of his government.
Critics argue that media freedom has reduced dramatically – and criticism is being muzzled. Mr Modi and his party were accused of employing cryptic, divisive policies to fuel sectarian tensions. The Prime Minister's reputation as the indestructible leader seems to have been dissipated with fierce protests against controversial citizenship law and proposed agricultural changes.
Many think that the big fall in the ratings can herald the start of a slide in a personality cult, for a leader whose face is everywhere – billboards, vaccine certificates, newspaper and tv advertising. It won't be sufficient to seize Mr Modi's power. Even at its lowest point, Mr Modi's rates tend to be twice that of rahul Gandhi, the top congressional opposition leader. So, due to a lack of real opposition, the prime minister could collect additional approval points.
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