The India Today-C-Voter Mood of the Nation survey has triggered a heated debate in political circles. Abhijeet Dipke, a former AAP worker and founder of the Cockroach Janata Party, has narrowly overtaken his former boss and AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal in the list of preferred candidates for the post of Prime Minister. In the latest survey, Dipke secured 1.3 percent of the votes for the PM’s post, compared to 1.2 percent for Kejriwal.
While the difference amounts to just 0.1 percentage points, it has caused a major political stir. The 30-year-old Dipke, who worked in AAP’s communication team under Kejriwal’s leadership between 2020 and 2023, has since emerged as the face of a youth-driven pressure movement.
In the survey, Prime Minister Narendra Modi continued to lead the pack with 48.7 percent support, followed by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in second place with 27.1 percent. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Vijay secured third place with 9.2 percent. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee (2 percent) and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav (1.7 percent) followed in the rankings, with Abhijeet Dipke placing next at 1.3 percent, edging out Kejriwal, who trailed at 1.2 percent.
On the question of who should lead the opposition alliance, Rahul Gandhi topped the survey with 29 percent of the votes, while Vijay, a relatively new entrant to politics, surprised many by finishing second with 12.2 percent. Mamata Banerjee (8.5 percent) and Arvind Kejriwal (7.5 percent) followed in the subsequent positions.