Non-BJP CMs take the cake of approval
New Delhi: Right at the top is Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, who is well into his fourth term. He enjoys a net approval rating of 82.96. Followed by Bhupesh Baghel and Jagan Mohan Reddy. Right at the bottom are BJP chief ministers Manohar Lal Khattar of Haryana (4.47) and Trivendra Singh Rawat of Uttarakhand (17.72).
Patnaik, who heads the Biju Janata dal, named after his father and iconic Odia leader Biju Patnaik,
Quite creditable for the non-conventional leader who started off with several limitations, including an inability to speak Odia, official language of the state. Though not in the best of the health, Patnaik remains a popular leader.
Ranking behind him is Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, belonging to the Congress. He has a score of 81.06. An aggressive politician, he led the Congress to victory, in the 2018 assembly polls.
Pinarayi Vijayan, the CPI(M) strongman, who heads the Left Front Government in Kerala, has an approval rating of 80.28. Vijayan’s handling of the recent Covid-19 crisis earned him an all-round appreciation.
YSR Congress leader and Andhra Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy enjoys an endorsement by 78.52. Uddhav Thackeray, heading the Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress coalition government in Maharashtra, has the approval of 76.52.
Janata Dal (United) leader and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has reason to worry given his net rating of 30.84. The state is scheduled to go to the polls in October-November. His current stock would reduce his bargaining capacity with his NDA-partner, BJP, during seat-sharing negotiations. Since his party members depend on his personal charisma to swing the votes, a reduced popularity would mean a bad show by JD(U) candidates.
Goa presents a bad scenario for the BJP. The 42.79 approval rating implies that the BJP undertake prompt efforts to hold on to the state.
The decline in rating of Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, endowed with great political skills, is critical. His current standing, with a just 27.51 endorsement, implies that he has lost a great deal of his political capital.