New Delhi, Aug 20 (India Today) : As Prime Minister Narendra Modi completes a quarter of his term in office, there are cautionary notes for him from the people of the nation that only 15 months ago gave his party, the BJP, a historic mandate. A sluggish pace of economic growth and creating jobs, coupled with episodes of corruption and communal tension, mean Modi might have to watch his step for the remaining term.

The latest India Today Group-Cicero Mood of the Nation Poll shows Modi losing considerable ground as far as his image as a no-nonsense man intolerant of corruption is concerned. The government's defiant defence of its senior leaders implicated in the Lalit Modi and Vyapam scams was perhaps evident when they rated Modi considerable lower than what they had done in the same poll in April, when 31 per cent Indians felt he was the most honest politician around.

Moreover, Modi's ability to deliver - as is evident from the famous Gujarat Model that his party often invokes - is also under scanner with the popularity of the BJP-led NDA government seeing a noticeable drop. More than half of the respondents in the poll rate the government between average and poor. Also, if the Lok Sabha elections are held today, the NDA may end up losing nearly 50 seats, bringing it barely over the magic 273 mark.

However, what Modi can take some relief in is the fact that he still remains the most popular choice for India's prime minister, and comfortably ahead of Arvind Kejriwal or Rahul Gandhi.