Bobby Jindal, the Indian American Governor of Louisiana and rising Republican star, has failed to find a place in the latest CNN poll for his party's favourite presidential nominee for 2012, with Sarah Palin emerging as one of the top contenders.
The meteoric rise of 37 year-old Jindal, son of Indian immigrants, had led to speculation that he might bag the Republican nomination for the 2012 presidential election. However, a national opinion poll conducted by CNN in May and released this week revealed that Jindal does not figure in the list of Republican presidential candidates, as identified by the people.
The CNN/Opinion Research Corporation survey said the top position is virtually tied between , former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, Alaska Governor Sarah Palin and former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney. Huckabee received 22 per cent favourable rating, while 21 per cent of the respondents each said they would like to see Palin and Romney as the party's nominee in 2012.
Taking into account the poll's 4.5 per cent sampling error, Huckabee, Palin and Romney seem to be locked in a hypothetical dead heat, the CNN said. Palin was 2008 Republican nominee John McCain's Vice Presidential candidate. Jindal was believed to have been considered as a contender but he had maintained that his focus was on his role as Louisiana governor.
The poll indicates that 13 per cent of Republicans would back former House Speaker Newt Gingrich in 2012, with six per cent supporting former Florida Governor Jeb Bush. Ten per cent of those questioned say they would most likely back someone else, the poll said.
"The Republicans have three very well known candidates. No one is a clear favourite among the three. The race appears to be wide open at this very early date," says CNN Senior Political Analyst Bill Schneider.
Although Jindal has not indicated any presidential ambition as of now, he has traveled extensively throughout the country since taking office in January 2008.
Said to be the next Ronald Reagan of the Republican Party, his national reputation took a hit earlier this year with poor reviews of his televised response to President Barack Obama's address to the Congress.
