Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee's decision on an early general election has put his Hindu-nationalist BJP firmly ahead, with a majority of people saying they will vote for it, an opinion poll found Saturday.
Forty nine percent of the 1,112 people from seven Indian cities who participated in the opinion poll by The Week magazine favoured the BJP while 37 percent sided with the main opposition party Congress.
The remaining 14 percent said they will vote for other parties.
Vajpayee has said he will call for the election at the earliest with BJP leaders keen to cash in on a "feel good factor" stemming from over eight percent economic growth, peace moves with rival Pakistan and wins in state polls.
Nearly 70 percent of the poll participants approved holding the election in April or May rather than October as scheduled.
The poll also put Vajpayee as the clear winner in a matchup with Congress leader Sonia Gandhi, with around 54 percent of people saying they wanted the Indian premier to continue in his position.
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