<p><em><strong>By Bibhudatta Pradhan</strong></em></p>.<p>Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ruling coalition is likely to win a smaller parliamentary majority in India’s next general election less than two years away, a new survey shows, but he remains by far the most popular choice to lead the country.</p>.<p><strong>Read | <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/national/bjp-under-modi-will-return-to-power-with-two-third-majority-in-2024-shah-1134472.html" target="_blank">BJP under Modi will return to power with two-third majority in 2024: Shah</a></strong></p>.<p>Modi’s ruling coalition would win 286 seats in the 543-member of the lower house of parliament if elections are held now. The recent exit of a key coalition partner may cost the ruling alliance some 21 seats from an earlier projection of 307 seats, the survey conducted by India Today magazine in association with polling agency C-Voter found. </p>.<p>The Bharatiya Janata Party-led ruling coalition currently has a comfortable 300-plus presence in the lower house. </p>.<p>The “Mood of the Nation” survey, conducted between February and August reached out to about 122,016 respondents. A large part of the poll was held before Nitish Kumar and his Janata Dal (United) party in the eastern state of Bihar cut ties with Modi’s coalition Tuesday. However, a snap poll a day later reflected the immediate fallout of his exit. </p>.<p>After more than eight years in office, Modi’s personal standing towers over his political rivals even as the South Asian nation grapples with high inflation and unemployment and faced a catastrophic Covid-19 wave last summer. Close to 53 per cent of respondents favored him as the next prime minister, with only 9% backing Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, and 7 per cent in favor of Aam Aadmi Party leader Arvind Kejriwal.</p>
<p><em><strong>By Bibhudatta Pradhan</strong></em></p>.<p>Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ruling coalition is likely to win a smaller parliamentary majority in India’s next general election less than two years away, a new survey shows, but he remains by far the most popular choice to lead the country.</p>.<p><strong>Read | <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/national/bjp-under-modi-will-return-to-power-with-two-third-majority-in-2024-shah-1134472.html" target="_blank">BJP under Modi will return to power with two-third majority in 2024: Shah</a></strong></p>.<p>Modi’s ruling coalition would win 286 seats in the 543-member of the lower house of parliament if elections are held now. The recent exit of a key coalition partner may cost the ruling alliance some 21 seats from an earlier projection of 307 seats, the survey conducted by India Today magazine in association with polling agency C-Voter found. </p>.<p>The Bharatiya Janata Party-led ruling coalition currently has a comfortable 300-plus presence in the lower house. </p>.<p>The “Mood of the Nation” survey, conducted between February and August reached out to about 122,016 respondents. A large part of the poll was held before Nitish Kumar and his Janata Dal (United) party in the eastern state of Bihar cut ties with Modi’s coalition Tuesday. However, a snap poll a day later reflected the immediate fallout of his exit. </p>.<p>After more than eight years in office, Modi’s personal standing towers over his political rivals even as the South Asian nation grapples with high inflation and unemployment and faced a catastrophic Covid-19 wave last summer. Close to 53 per cent of respondents favored him as the next prime minister, with only 9% backing Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, and 7 per cent in favor of Aam Aadmi Party leader Arvind Kejriwal.</p>