Uttarakhand chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami received the highest share of votes in a Times Group survey assessing the performance of chief ministers from disaster-affected states.The online poll, conducted by Navbharat Times, asked, “which chief minister has performed the best in disaster-affected states?” The options included Omar Abdullah, Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, Pushkar Singh Dhami, and Bhagwant Mann. Survey results showed Dhami with 79 percent of the votes, Omar Abdullah of Jammu and Kashmir with 20 percent, and both Himachal Pradesh CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu and Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann with 1 percent each.Respondents cited Dhami’s handling of relief, rehabilitation, and on-ground visits to affected areas as reasons for their choice.Similar responses were recorded on the Times of India’s WhatsApp Community platform, where users described him as their “first choice” and highlighted his “leadership skills, quick decision-making ability, and compassionate approach.”

Political analysts observed that the outcome reflects public expectations of effective and empathetic leadership in times of crisis.