Indians keep faith with Modi, best hope for economy: Poll

More than 70 per cent of Indians are satisfied with the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi since he took office nearly three months ago, an opinion poll showed, seeing in him the best hope to put the economy back on track.

The 'Mood of the Nation Poll' by India Today-Hansa Research stands out in contrast with the disappointment that top political economists, including those who advised the Modi campaign, have voiced over his failure to announce big bang reforms.

The poll of 12,430 people conducted across India found that support for Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party had increased since it won the biggest election mandate in three decades.

The vote share of the BJP and its allies would jump to 40 per cent from 31 per cent if a fresh election were held now, the survey showed, in a break from tradition in India's volatile politics where discontent with incumbent governments quickly sets in, especially when expectations are high.

After assuming power, Modi has repeatedly vowed to fire up the bureaucracy by cutting red tape and curbing corruption, as his government attempts to revive Asia's third-largest economy from its longest phase of sub-par growth in decades.

While some visible signs of recovery have emerged, Modi has not announced any sweeping market reforms, with critics saying he has scored high on oratory but low on delivery of his election campaign promises.

But 65 per cent of those surveyed believed Modi will put the economy back on track in six months and that his party was the best bet for development.

"As the 100-day mark of the government draws near, the nation thinks that Narendra Modi is keeping his word, and would vote in a saffron-led government with even more lawmakers than it did during the May elections," Mail Today, a group newspaper, said on the findings of the survey.