Zee News opinion poll results: Close fight for Congress, Charanjit Singh Channi most-favoured CM face in Punjab

According to the Zee News opinion poll results, nearly 32% of people in Punjab’s Manjha region favour incumbent Charanjit Singh Channi as the Chief Minister of Punjab. Former chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh of Punjab Lok Congress has received the backing of just 7% of people. Singh is followed by Punjab Congress chief Navjot Singh Siddhu with 5% votes in his favour.

New Delhi: Amid intense campaigning for the high-stakes battle for Punjab, Zee News - one of the country's largest media houses - has conducted a massive and possibly the biggest-ever opinion poll - with the largest sample size ever collected to check the mood of the voters in this Congress-ruled state.

Besides Punjab, Zee News has earlier conducted an opinion poll to predict the mood of voters in other poll-bound states like - Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand and will also be conducting the same for Goa and Manipur.

The ‘Janata Ka Mood’ - billed as the biggest opinion poll ever - has received over 12 lakh responses from people of the five states. The opinion poll for Punjab, which has been jointly conducted by Zee News in association with Design Boxed - a political campaign management company – is based on 1,05,000 sample surveys collected from 117 assembly segments of the state.

The opinion poll results have predicted a close contest for the ruling Congress. If the party-wise consensus is to be taken into consideration, the ruling Congress Party is suffering a clear loss of 12-13 seats in Punjab in the 2022 assembly elections, as per the Zee News opinion poll. The Congress is predicted to win between 35-38 seats in Punjab. SAD is likely to get between 32-35 seats while Arvind Kejriwal's AAP is expected to win between 36-39 seats. The opinion poll predicts a gloomy picture for BJP which is predicted to win just 4-7 seats, while others are likely to get around 2-4 seats.

Interestingly, incumbent chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi has emerged as the people's top choice for the chief minister's post in Punjab. He is closely followed by AAP’s Bhagwant Mann as per India’s biggest Opinion Poll conducted by Zee Media in the Majha region. Over 35% of people in Punjab want to see Charanjit Singh Channi as the next Chief Minister of the northern state in 2022 while AAP’s Bhagwant Mann is being supported by 23% and 22% want to see SAD’s Sukhbir Singh Badal as the next CM.

Former chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh of Punjab Lok Congress has received the backing of just 7% of people. Singh is followed by Punjab Congress chief Navjot Singh Siddhu with 5% votes in his favour. Delhi CM and AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal, who has ruled himself out of the CM race in Punjab has received the backing of 11% people, according to the Zee News poll.

The overwhelming support to the Congress leader is despite his being only 3 months old in the office, which was ripe with several political ups and downs including the farm laws repeal, Golden Temple sacrilege and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s security lapse controversy. Channi is the first Dalit chief minister in Punjab and thus, a huge percentage of the Dalit vote bank can work in his favour.

Here are the key findings of the Zee News Opinion poll for Punjab 

Total assembly seats in Punjab: 117

Manjha -  25 सीट

Doab - 23

Malwa - 69

Party-wise prediction for seats 

CONG 35-38

SAD+ 32-35

BJP+ 4-7

AAP 36-39

OTH 2-4

Top CM choice in Punjab

Charanjit Singh Channi (CONG) - 31%

Bhagwant Mann (AAP) - 24%

Sukhbir Singh Badal (SAD) - 22%

Arvind Kejriwal (AAP) - 11%

Capt Amarinder Singh (Punjab Lok Congress) - 7%

Navjot Singh Sidhu (CONG) - 5%

Region-wise top CM candidates

Manjha 

Capt Amarinder Singh (BJP+) - 5%

Navjot Singh Sidhu (CONG) - 7%

Bhagwant Mann (AAP) - 25 %

Sukhbir Singh Badal (SAD) - 21 %

Charanjit Singh Channi (CONG) - 32%

Arvind Kejriwal (AAP) - 10%

Doab

Capt Amarinder Singh 4%

Navjot Singh Sidhu ( CONG) 4%

Bhagwant Mann (AAP) 23%

Sukhbir Singh Badal (SAD) 22%

Charanjit Singh Channi (CONG) 35%

Arvind Kejriwal (AAP) 12 %

Malwa  

Capt Amarinder Singh  8%

Navjot Singh Sidhu ( CONG) 5%

Bhagwant Mann (AAP) 24%

Sukhbir Singh Badal (SAD) 22%

Charanjit Singh Channi  (CONG) 31%

Arvind Kejriwal  (AAP) 10%

What's the biggest issue in Punjab?

As per the Zee News-Design Boxed opinion poll, unemployment is the most important issue for voters. As many as 65 per cent of people said that unemployment is the most important issue in the 117-Assembly state, followed by inflation at 58 per cent. 

Nearly 55 per cent of Punjab citizens said sacrilege is the biggest issue, while 54 per cent flagged drugs as a major concern. As many as 32 per cent of people will consider agricultural issues while casting their votes. 

Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP's) has declared Bhagwant Mann as its chief ministerial candidate for Punjab. Bhagwant Mann, a two-time AAP MP from Sangrur, received more than 93 per cent of the votes cast through phone and WhatsApp, AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal told reporters. More than 21 lakh people participated in the vote, AAP said.

Mann will contest from the Dhuri assembly seat in Sangrur district for the next month's assembly polls in Punjab. The announcement in this regard was made by the party's senior leader Raghav Chadha in Mohali on Thursday.

Punjab will vote on February 20 and the results will be declared on March 10. AAP is the first - so far the only - party to announce a chief ministerial candidate in Punjab. Last week, AAP asked the people of Punjab to dial, WhatsApp or SMS on 7074870748 to name their choice for Chief Minister.