From a slump two years ago, when it faced high disapproval ratings and an anti-incumbency mood, the Ashok Gehlot-led Congress government in Rajasthan has managed to recover lost ground. But in a tight bipolar contest, the BJP retains an opportunity to make a comeback in the Assembly elections later this year, as well as gain seats in Parliamentary polls. These are some of the key findings of the CSDS survey.
If Parliamentary polls are to be held immediately, the Congress and the BJP would be locked in a neck-neck contest. From 47 percentage point vote-share in 2009, Congress is set to dip to 44 p.c., while BJP will gain seven percentage points from 37 to 44 p.c. But there has been a slow turn-around at the state-level.
A CSDS survey in 2011 found 32 p.c. of the voters willing to give Mr. Gehlot another term; this number has shot up to 42 p.c.
