Survey shows Eknath Shinde leading as top pick for Maha CM’s post

New Delhi, Aug 16 (IANS) Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde is the top choice for the CM’s post if elections were held today, according to an opinion poll conducted by the Matrize survey agency. The survey broadcast by Times Now on Friday showed that 27 per cent of the respondents preferred Shinde as the CM if elections were held today. Likewise, 35 per cent of those surveyed rated Shinde’s performance as ‘very good’.Maharashtra is scheduled to go to the polls later this year.The opinion poll indicated that Shinde is the leading choice for the Chief Minister’s post in Maharashtra with 27 per cent respondents backing the Shiv Sena leader over other candidates. Uddhav Thackeray of Shiv Sena (UBT) is supported by 23 per cent of those surveyed, followed by Devendra Fadnavis of the BJP at 21 per cent, and Sharad Pawar of the NCP (SP) at 9 per cent. The remaining 20 per cent of the respondents preferred other candidates.According to the survey, 35 per cent of the respondents rated Shinde’s performance as ‘very good’, while 21 per cent described it as ‘average’. While 14 per cent respondents were ‘unsure’, 30 per cent were ‘not satisfied’ with his performance.The survey projections for Maharashtra indicated that the BJP is expected to secure between 95 and 105 seats in the 288-member Assembly. The Shinde faction of the Shiv Sena is projected to win 19 to 24 seats, while the Ajit Pawar-led NCP is anticipated to bag 7-12 seats. The Congress is expected to win 42-47 seats, while the Shiv Sena (UBT) is likely to win 26-31 seats.The Sharad Pawar-led NCP is expected to secure 23-28 seats, while ‘others’ are projected to get 11-16 seats. Analysts on the Times Now panel discussion asserted that the positive reception of Eknath Shinde’s performance is giving the MahaYuti an advantage.The survey revealed that 33 per cent of the respondents believe the MahaYuti coalition has better coordination compared to the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA). In contrast, 26 per cent of the respondents feel that the MVA exhibits better coordination than the MahaYuti. Additionally, 14 per cent of the respondents find that both the alliances have good coordination, while 15 per cent were unable to provide opinion on the matter.–IANSbrt/arm