New Delhi, Oct 3 : He is considered to be the prime minister-in-waiting by many, but a recent survey among students has shown that Rahul Gandhi is also the face India would like to see as the brand ambassador for the Commonwealth Games. A whopping 72 per cent of those surveyed said they wanted the Gandhi scion to be the brand ambassador for the CWG.
The survey was conducted by the Associated Chambers for Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM) among 10,000 students in Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Dehradun, Jaipur, Chennai, Ahmedabad, Chandigarh, Kolkata and Bhubaneswar.
It revealed that Sachin Tendulkar (64 per cent) is the second choice of the nation for face of the Commonwealth Games 2010, followed by Amir Khan (56 per cent) and A R Rahman (42 per cent). The major options among the different categories included politicians, Bollywood stars, sportspersons and other public icons, who majorly influence the common man.
72 per cent of the respondents said Gandhi was the most honest, straightforward and trustworthy youth leader. The respondents said that the young Congress leader has instilled confidence in the youth and he is the motivational factor who can set standards for them.
Sachin Pilot, Minister of State for Communications and Infotech got 14 per cent, while Jyotiraditya Scindia, Minister of State for Commerce and Industry and Congress MP Jitin Prasada got six per cent votes each as the face of the Games.
Among the sportspersons, iconic batsman Sachin Tendulkar (64 per cent) tops the list followed by Saina Nehwal (20 per cent), Viswanathan Anand (18 per cent) and Abhinav Bindra (six per cent).
The survey also highlighted the face for Commonwealth Games 2010 among the film industry. Actor Amir Khan -- the perfectionist -- came out on top with 56 per cent of the respondents voting for him as the first choice. Actress Aishwarya Rai Bachchan with 18 per cent, Shahrukh Khan with 12 per cent and Ranbir Kapoor with six per cent followed in the list.
Other public figures included A R Rahman (42 per cent), Chetan Bhagat and singer Shaan.
The survey also highlighted the city which had the highest potential to organise the Commonwealth Games 2010 in India. Bangalore with 75 per cent first choice vote emerged as the most preferred city to organise the Games.
It was also felt that the involvement of Indian business houses jointly with the Games organisers would have made a difference. Sixty per cent of respondents voted for Tata followed by Reliance (18 per cent), Jindal Group (15 per cent) and DLF group (seven per cent). PTI
