ET Poll for 2014 elections: SP scores lowest ratings; disillusioned UP harks back to Mayawati's reign

Akhilesh Yadav was widely credited for the Samajwadi Party’s triumph in the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections last year and welcomed as a change agent in the underdeveloped state plagued with corruption and crime. Nineteen months later, the 40-year-old chief minister appears to have lost his sheen.

The survey shows that most voters are disappointed with the SP government’s performance, a finding that signals trouble for the party ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, especially since rival Mayawati appears to be gaining from this rapid disenchantment with the party that ousted her from power. More voters vouched for the previous government’s ability to fulfil commitments made to the people.

As per the survey, 43 per cent of the Hindus and 52 per cent of all voters in eastern UP gave a high rating to the Bahujan Samaj Party leader. She also earned high ratings among Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes — 62 per cent and 68 per cent, respectively. This suggests it will not be easy for Mayawati’s rivals to poach on her core constituency. The finding is particularly relevant for Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi, who has been emphasising in his recent meetings that only his party can promote the welfare of Dalits.

Even as Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav has been named the preferred prime ministerial candidate by 12 per cent of the respondents from the Other Backward Classes, 13 per cent among the community pitched for Mayawati and as many as 62 per cent preferred Modi. The BJP is expected to highlight the backward caste identity of Modi in the state where caste affiliations play a critical role in electoral outcomes.

The biggest worry for Samajwadi Party is sure to be the electoral mood in western Uttar Pradesh. The party’s ratings are the lowest — 15 per cent — in this region. However, it seems to be holding on its present position in central Uttar Pradesh.