Four Northeast CMs feature in India Today’s 'Most Popular Chief Minister List' in home state

Four Chief Ministers from Northeast India have secured top spots in India Today’s Mood of the Nation survey of the 'most popular chief ministers' in home state. The survey highlights the popularity and satisfaction levels of chief ministers across different states.

Leading the chart is Sikkim Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang with 55.7 per cent of respondents expressing satisfaction with him as per the latest survey which has soared from 26 per cent in February 2024 and 32.5 per cent in August 2023.

In just a year and a half since he was elected as the Sikkim Chief Minister in May 2019, Tamang emerged as a transformative leader and his administration achieved significant milestones in previously untapped sectors, marking the beginning of a new era in the state's political history.

Tamang started his political career with the Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF ) in which he served various ministerial posts. Yet, in 2013 he stepped out to start a new political party which he named Sikkim Krantikari Morcha (SKM) and soon became popular among youths and the lower classes. 

The outcome of the 2019 Assembly elections resulted in the SKM ousting the 25-year-old ruling Sikkim Democratic Front party. 

Also Read: Himanta Biswa second most popular CM, most popular among big states: India Today survey

Tamang’s leadership brought in a people-oriented political culture.

Meanwhile, from Assam, CM Himanta Biswa Sarma grabbed the second spot in the popularity list with 50.8 per cent of respondents expressing satisfaction with the CM, again up from 48.6 per cent in February 2024 and 49.2 per cent in August 2023.

Sarma, fondly known as "HBS" has been a major factor in the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) apparent victory in Assam for a second term. The 55-year-old political leader is seldom subtle, and based on his resume, it appears that he thinks the meek will not inherit the earth.

HBS is the most high-profile minister in Assam's political landscape- be it during the Congress regime or the current BJP-led state government with meaty portfolios: finance, planning and development, health and family welfare, education and PWD. He’s perched atop the commanding heights of the state’s politics and policy.

Since Himanta Biswa Sarma became the Chief Minister of Assam in May 2021, several of his government's initiatives have been qualified to demonstrate their impact. 

Arunachal chief minister Pema Khandu also features in the list of most popular chief ministers with 40.6 per cent of respondents expressing satisfaction with the CM. Meanwhile, Tripura CM Manik Saha was at the bottom of the list with 38.4 per cent of respondents expressing satisfaction with the CM.

Meanwhile, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath is the best-performing Chief Minister in the country. CM Yogi beat his rivals -- Arvind Kejriwal and Mamata Banerjee -- in the popularity contest by a huge margin, according to the Mood of the Nation survey. 

As per the survey, 33.2 per cent of respondents from across 30 states voted Adityanath as the most popular CM across the country. Kejriwal was a distant second with 13.8 per cent polling for him.