Modi vs who in 2024 Lok Sabha elections? A survey conducted by C-Voter has sought to answer this million-dollar question, and the findings may leave you stumped. The “pan-India” survey comes amid the Congress leader’s failure to get any reprieve from the Gujarat High Court in his conviction in a case of criminal disqualification that eventually led to his disqualification as a Member of Parliament in Lok Sabha.

Gandhi has approached the Supreme Court seeking relief in the case linked to his controversial “Modi surname” remark, contending that the criminal defamation case against him is a politically motivated move to harass him. Gandhi has been sentenced to two years imprisonment in the case rendering him ineligible to contest elections before 2032.

Also Read: SC to hear Rahul Gandhi’s plea seeking stay on conviction in defamation case on July 21

As per Section 8(3) of the Representation of the People Act, a person convicted of an offence and sentenced to two years in jail is rendered ineligible for the term of their punishment and an additional six years, barring him from contesting elections.

The possibility of the Congress’ inability to project Gandhi as the prime ministerial face of the Opposition bloc that it is trying to build leaves the party in quite a quandary. The Congress could find itself relegated to the sidelines by regional heavyweights who have not been too kind to the idea of the grand old party playing “big brother” so far.

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Worse, it may also have to reconcile with the fact that Rahul Gandhi may not be able to become India’s Prime Minister in the near future. This, at a time when the Opposition is brainstorming on a strategy to unitedly take on the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

But it’s not all gloom and doom if the survey findings are to be believed. As part of the survey, CVoter asked people who they would like to see as the Opposition’s PM face if Rahul Gandhi fails to get a stay on his conviction. The answers should leave the Opposition with more questions than answers.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, for example, has been at the forefront of the Opposition alliance. Among the fiercest rivals of the BJP, the Trinamool Congress chief has repeatedly shown that the BJP is far from being unbeatable, and has claimed that greater say for regional parties in seat-sharing.

Also Read: Lok Sabha Elections 2024: Opinion polls place BJP firmly in lead, Congress gains ground

However, when it comes to her pan-India appeal, the survey found that only 10 per cent of its respondents saw Mamata as a potential contender for the Prime Minister’s post should Rahul Gandhi not be in the fray.

Similarly, Arvind Kejriwal, whose Aam Aadmi Party is fast emerging as the biggest Opposition voice after Congress nationally, ranks a notch above Mamata with 14 per cent of the respondents favouring him as a potential PM face in the absence of Rahul Gandhi as a contender.

Kejriwal’s Bihar counterpart and Janata Dal (United) chief also features alongside the Delhi CM with 14 per cent of the respondents seeing him as the prime ministerial face. This, despite Nitish positioning himself as the frontrunner for the top post and practically leading the efforts to stitch together an anti-BJP front with the Congress.

The reprieve for Congress comes in the form of Rahul Gandhi’s sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra who has emerged as the top pick as the Opposition’s PM face among the lot. According to the CVoter survey, an astounding 33 per cent of the respondents would like to see the Opposition project Priyanka as the PM face instead of Mamata, Kejriwal or Nitish.

Lok Sabha elections are scheduled to be held in the country in March-April 2024.