The Federal survey | Who’s India’s all-time favourite Prime Minister?

The caste census has become a key poll plank ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha election. While the Opposition has been demanding it, the Narendra Modi government has been hemming and hawing around it.

And then there is the issue of One Nation, One Election. The Centre thinks it is the way forward, and has already formed a committee that’s looking into its implementation. There is a concern that Assembly elections and, in fact, the functioning of state governments, may take a hit if made to sync with Lok Sabha elections.

What are the Indian voter’s thoughts on these issues? Do they matter at all? Or, is the charisma of the party leaders going to supersede every poll issue to determine voting intentions? And, which leader is the nation’s favourite — now as well as across 76 years?

The Federal and its sister entity Puthiyathalaimurai engaged Apt Research Group for an extensive pan-India survey to gauge the pulse of the nation. The respondents were asked nine questions.To read the responses to the first five questions, as well as the survey methodology, click here.

Here comes the rest.

Question 6: Caste census

Do you approve of the Caste Census advocated by Opposition parties?

Nearly 37 per cent of the of the respondents said yes, but the majority — almost 55 per cent — are against the concept at the national level.

The maximum number of respondents who backed the Caste Census are in the East, at 43 per cent. At 63 per cent, the question drew an unmistakable ‘No’ from the South.

Question 7: One Nation, One Election

Do you approve of the Centre’s plan to implement the One Nation, One Election proposal?

Indians are mostly for the plan. Nearly 62 per cent of the respondents at the all-India level said they are in favour of the plan, while less than 30 per cent said no.

Only in the South, there seem to be some reservations, with just 51 per cent saying yes to the plan. This is understandable since two of the five States in the South — Karnataka and Telangana — just voted in new state governments.

The maximum support came from the West, with a backing of nearly 71 per cent.

Question 8: Opposition leader as PM face

Among the Opposition leaders, who according to you will make a good PM candidate?

Here, the Can’t Say / Don’t Know drew the maximum votes, at 27 per cent. Next came Rahul Gandhi at nearly 25 per cent, thanks to strong banking from the South. Next came Arvind Kejriwal at nearly 17 per cent.

The others appear to have received some support from their respective state/regions.

Question 9: All-time favourite PM

Who are your Top 3 all-time favourite Prime Ministers of India?

The clear answer here appears to be the incumbent, Narendra Modi, at nearly 62 per cent. He received over 60 per cent support from the North, West and East.

After Modi came Atal Bihari Vajpayee at 48 per cent, and Indira Gandhi at 42 per cent. The respondents from the South showed a preference for Indira (54 per cent) vis à vis Modi (48 per cent).

State-wise numbers

We are holding panel discussions around this survey every day, which you can watch here.

From tomorrow, we will be sharing the results of our state-wise survey for the 2024 Lok Sabha election. Watch this space!

Watch The Federal panel discussion here