New Delhi, June 2 (IANS): The images of hapless migrant labourers walking long distances to get back to their native places may have given hope to the critics of Prime Minister Narendra Modi that at least now his popularity may wane. Or, the unprecedented economic crisis in the wake of the two-month lockdown might turn the masses against him. However, on the contrary, his net national approval rating, according to an IANS-C Voter State of the Nation 2020 Survey, is at nearly 66 per cent.

As if that is not enough, the net rating of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is 0.58 per cent. The ruling BJP seems to be well aware of this unbridgeable gap, considering the perennial party focus on him.

The highest endorsement rate of the Prime Minister is in Himachal Pradesh with 95.1 per cent. The Prime Minister's nett approval rating is over 90 per cent in Odisha and Chhattisgarh. Incidentally, the Congress was voted to power in the Chhattisgarh in 2018 after a 15-year rule of the BJP.

Even in Punjab and Rajasthan, both Congress-ruled states, Modi's popularity stands at 68.84 per cent and 68.43 per cent, respectively. In the southern states of Kerala and Tamil Nadu, where the BJP remains on the margins, Modi's nett approval rating is 32.89 per cent and 32.15 per cent respectively. Barring these two states, the Prime Minister is going strong all over the country, the chart showing him above 50 per cent in every single state.

Compared to Modi, Rahul Gandhi has only 36.12 per cent nett approval from Kerala, which sent him to the Lok Sabha. Tamil Nadu is the second most favourable state for him, where he has met with a 26.11 per cent.

Modi ranks above the satisfaction ratings of the chief ministers of both the NDA and non-NDA formations. The PM's nett satisfaction ranking at 65.69 is higher than the combined ranking of 57.36, of all the chief ministers of the UPA-ruled states.

PM Modi has the highest satisfaction rating of 92.73 in Chhattisgarh whereas the states chief minister Bhupesh Baghel, a popular leader, has a rating 81.06. Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, who has been in power for over seven months, enjoys a satisfaction rating of 76.52, which is higher than the 71.48-per cent of the Prime Minister. Modi's satisfaction rating in West Bengal is 64.06, which is higher than 52.06 ratings of Mamata Banerjee.

In Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, the two states which have suffered the most due to the migrant crisis, the Prime Minister has an approval rating of 64.06 per cent and 67.01 per cent respectively. Rahul enjoys the maximum rating in Haryana with 31.11 per cent endorsement. In Chhattisgarh, Rahul has 4.55 per cent rating.

Goa, with 9.62 per cent approval, stands out as the worst place for the BJP. Haryana too is a source of worry, with 38.73 per cent endorsement.

May 2009 onwards, the IANS-C Voter Tracker has been carried out each and every week, 52 waves in a calendar year, in 11 national languages, across all States and Union territories with a target sample size of 3,000 samples each wave. The average response rate is 55%. This survey is based on CATI interviews of adult respondents across all segments.