Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa has emerged as the hot favourite for the Prime Minister’s post, with Gujarat CM Narendra Modi coming in a close second, according to an opinion survey among the NRIs conducted by Dubai-based HR consultant Mohaideen Pitchai.
Pitchai said the Gallup poll was conducted via e-mail and telephone among the expatriates mostly living in the Middle East, Australia, Canada, UK, Singapore, Malaysia, Sri Lanka and Thailand. As many as 75 per cent of the respondents said Jayalalithaa and Narendra Modi are best suited for the top job.
The survey compared the leadership potential on various criteria ranging from educational qualifications, political experience leadership skills and mass support.
According to the respondents, Modi could have a greater impact on the country’s economic development than Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. And the BJP leader was quite good at implementing the economic policy, with a proven track record to turn around the government administration, the survey pointed out.
The NRIs were of the view that there was a need for improvement on the infrastructure, health, water and energy front. And these cannot be achieved without foreign direct investment (FDI).