New Delhi: The potential benefits accruing to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ruling alliance from a spike in nationalist sentiment following recent skirmishes with arch rival Pakistan might be waning, according to the results of a nationwide opinion poll conducted by an agency called ‘CVoter’
Tensions with neighbouring Pakistan increased after the suicide bomb attack Pulwama by JeM which left 40 CRPF personnel dead. in the Indian part of the disputed Kashmir region killed 40 Indian paramilitary police last month. In retaliation India carried out airstrikes on a suspected militant camp at Balakot in Pakistan.
That led national sentiment on security and terror-related issues in India to peak at nearly 29 per cent in early March. However, it has since waned to about 15 percent, as tensions have cooled, the agency said, citing its daily tracker of national sentiment.
“A cliff-fall for (the) security narrative complicates BJP’s positioning as this is one issue where BJP comprehensively dominates the Congress and in fact entire opposition,” CVoter said, referring to the BJP which face off against Congress and other parties in the general elections starting, April 11.
Pollsters say the airstrikes and nationalist rhetoric had diverted attention away from socio-economic issues, including increasing unemployment and an agrarian crisis which critics have often used to lambast Modi’s policies. The new poll numbers suggest those issues may be back on voters’ minds, ‘CVoter’ said.
At election rallies in recent weeks the BJP has played up the airstrikes and a subsequent anti-satellite missile test which Modi hailed as making India a military space power. Some opposition parties criticized the anti-satellite test announcement as a political gimmick. “The impact of ‘Mission Shakti’ is anticipated to show in the next few days,” the agency has pointed out in a statement.
Reuters
