UP, Punjab, Uttarakhand Voters More Angry With MLAs Than CMs: Survey

Voters in poll-bound Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Uttarakhand appear more dissatisfied with their sitting MLAs than with their respective state governments, according to a Vote Vibe survey. However, the dissatisfaction with local legislators has not translated into uniform anti-incumbency against the chief ministers or ruling parties.

The survey covered more than 6,000 voters across the three states. Nearly half of respondents in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand, and more than 45% in Punjab, expressed dissatisfaction with their MLAs.

The findings are significant ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections, with Punjab and Uttarakhand scheduled to vote before Uttar Pradesh. Political analyst Amitabh Tiwari attributed much of the anger to the perceived inaccessibility of MLAs and voters' difficulties in getting constituency-level work done.

UP: 49% DISSATISFIED WITH MLAS

Uttar Pradesh recorded the highest dissatisfaction with sitting MLAs, with 49% of respondents saying they were dissatisfied or completely dissatisfied. Only 27.9% were satisfied with their legislators.

The Yogi Adityanath-led state government received a comparatively better assessment. About 41.8% of respondents were satisfied with its performance, while 38.4% were dissatisfied.

Unemployment emerged as the biggest election issue in UP at 23.1%, followed by farmers' concerns at 14.1%, education and healthcare at 13.7%, inflation at 12.2%, and corruption and the Ram Temple donation controversy at 11.4%.

The BJP-led alliance had a narrow lead in voting intention, at 41.8% against 38.7% for the Samajwadi Party-led alliance. However, when respondents were asked who they expected to win, the SP alliance was marginally ahead at 41.2%, compared with 41.1% for the BJP-led NDA.

Yogi Adityanath remained the preferred chief ministerial face with 43.4% support, ahead of Akhilesh Yadav at 35.5%.

UTTARAKHAND: GOVERNMENT AHEAD, MLAS BEHIND

Uttarakhand showed a similar gap between state-level and constituency-level sentiment.

The Pushkar Singh Dhami-led BJP government received satisfaction from 39.1% of respondents, while 38.1% were dissatisfied. In contrast, 48% were dissatisfied with their sitting MLAs and only 27.1% were satisfied.

Unemployment was the leading concern at 20.7%, followed by education and healthcare at 18.9%. Inflation, law and order and women's safety, corruption, and basic infrastructure were other major issues.

The BJP led Congress in voting intention, 40.9% to 36.7%, and also had an advantage in winner perception.

Dhami was the most preferred CM face with 28.2% support, followed by Congress veteran Harish Rawat at 23.3%.

PUNJAB: DRUGS AND JOBS DOMINATE

Punjab also showed stronger dissatisfaction with MLAs than with the state government. While 40% of respondents were satisfied with the Bhagwant Mann-led AAP government and 35.4% were dissatisfied, 45.3% were dissatisfied with their MLAs and only 32.2% were satisfied.

Drugs emerged as the biggest concern at 25.7%, followed closely by unemployment and migration at 24.3%.

AAP led the voting preference with 34%, followed by Congress at 30.2%. The BJP stood at 12.2%, while the Shiromani Akali Dal was at 11.3%.

Bhagwant Mann remained the preferred CM choice, receiving 40.1% support, almost twice the 20.6% recorded by former chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi.

MLA PERFORMANCE COULD SHAPE 2027 POLLS

The surveys suggest that candidate-level factors could become crucial in the three Assembly elections. Amitabh Tiwari said around 10-15% of voters across the states could base their choice on a candidate's personality and image.

High dissatisfaction with sitting MLAs could therefore push political parties to replace unpopular incumbents while distributing tickets for the 2027 polls.

However, replacing sitting legislators could also create new challenges, including rebellion and sabotage by denied candidates.

The broader picture is that voters appear to distinguish between their assessment of chief ministers and their local representatives. While MLAs face considerable dissatisfaction in all three states, Yogi Adityanath and Bhagwant Mann continue to retain strong support as preferred CM faces, while the BJP remains competitive in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand and AAP retains an edge in Punjab.