As India reported the world’s highest number of deaths in a single day due to Covid19, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s popularity rating has fallen to a new low. According to
surveys by Indian and American agencies, this week Modi’s approval rating stood at 63%, which is the lowest since 2019.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi swept to power in 2014 and was re-elected in 2019 with a huge mandate. He had won with the biggest majority of any Indian leader in 30 years. Bhartiya Janata Party won the 2019 General Elections by securing 303 seats out of 542 and captured 37% of the votes. Whereas the Opposition, Congress had won only 52 seats with a 19.5% vote share.
However, the trend of Modi’s rising popularity has taken a U-turn. According to the Indian agency CVoter, only 37% of survey respondents are ‘satisfied’ with PM Modi and his government. One of the main factors of this huge drop is the global pandemic. This is the first time in seven years that the number of respondents disappointed by Modi’s governance is higher than satisfied people.
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A massive decline was witnessed in April when PM Modi’s net approval rate dropped by 22 points. This sharp fall came as the coronavirus pandemic disrupted the lives in countries big cities like New Delhi.
In several states and UTs, especially in New Delhi, hospitals ran out of beds and most needed medical oxygen. A large number of people lost their lives due to a shortage of oxygen supply and anti-covid drugs. Bodies are still piling up in morgues and crematoriums. Suffering through such a hard time, people are frustrated.
The Covid situation in Delhi and Mumbai has been at ease after a long time as these regions are reporting a comparatively low number of fresh Covid cases. But, now the pandemic is claiming lives in rural India. Several rural areas of India are witnessing an unusual number of deaths due to Covid like symptoms. These areas have administered a low number of tests, thus the figures are highly questionable.
“The Prime Minister is facing the biggest political challenge of his career,” said CVoter founder Yashwant Deshmukh.
Modi has to face national elections in 2024, and the global pandemic is a big challenge in front of him.