The New Nation - Internet Edition

AFP, New Delhi

The hardline Hindu chief of India's Gujarat state is set for re-election despite fresh allegations linking him to the mass murder of Muslims, according to an opinion poll.

Narender Modi, chief minister of Gujarat, has a clear edge over his rivals, with 63 percent of people saying they were satisfied with his administration's performance, the Indian Express newspaper said on Thursday.

The Hindu nationalist politician's personal popularity has also risen from 38 percent in 2002 -- the year at least 2,000 Muslims were murdered by Hindu mobs -- to 40 percent now.

Fifty-six percent also agreed that Gujarat had "an effective leader," while 52 percent said Modi, a member of the right-wing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), had added to Gujarat's prestige. The western state goes into elections next month, and the poll said the BJP was on track to win 100 seats in the 182-member state assembly -- ahead of the Congress Party with 76 seats.