Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his rivals have accused India of religious discrimination and threats to democracy amid low turnout in the second phase of the world’s largest election.
About one billion people are eligible to vote in the seven-phase general election, which begins on April 19 and ends on June 1, with votes scheduled to be counted on June 4.
Prime Minister Modi is seeking a record third consecutive term on the back of his economic performance, welfare policies, national pride, Hindu nationalism and personal popularity. Polls suggest he will win a comfortable majority.
His challengers have formed a coalition of more than 20 parties, promising expanded affirmative action, more benefits and an end to what they call Mr. Modi’s authoritarian rule. There is.
A total of 88 of the 543-member House of Representatives went to vote on Friday, with 160 million people eligible to vote in 13 states and union territories.
Rough turnout data at the end of voting showed 61% of voters turned out on Friday, down from 65% in the first phase last week and 68% in the second phase five years ago.
The election commission and political parties are concerned that unseasonably hot weather and weddings in some parts of the country could affect turnout.
Analysts say there is no single issue strong enough to drive voters away this time, and that the committed Hindu nationalist base of Prime Minister Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will not defect due to complacency or overconfidence. As a result, voter turnout may decline.
More than half of the seats in Friday’s election were held in the southern states of Kerala and Karnataka, and the northwestern state of Rajasthan.
The campaign has become more heated since the first phase of voting on April 19, with Mr. Modi and the main opposition Congress party at loggerheads over communal issues, with Mr. They have accused the government of trying to weaken its effectiveness and planning to impose an inheritance tax levy. Tax.
The Congress has denied the charges, saying Modi was fearful of defeat and used divisive language to distract voters from real issues such as unemployment, rising prices and rural distress.
However, some voters were reacting to the Bharatiya Janata Party.
“I will vote for the BJP. Muslims will benefit a lot if Congress comes to power, but I don’t want taxpayers’ money to be used for the benefit of a particular community. ” said Shree Hari, 23, who voted in the tech hub of Bangalore.
Some were not happy with what they described as a sectarian shift in politics.
“The Bharatiya Janata Party is using temples and mosques to create a divide between Hindus and Muslims in order to distance them from real issues such as unemployment and price rise,” said an unemployed Muslim voter in the northern city of Mathura. Sorkin Qureshi (29) inside said.
Rahul Gandhi, a former Congress president and the face of the party, was among 1,200 candidates seeking election on Friday.
“This is not a normal election… because for the first time in the history of India, one party and one person are trying to perfect India’s constitution and democracy,” Gandhi said at an election rally in Karnataka state. Stated. Next week’s vote.
Mr Gandhi is seeking re-election from Wayanad state in Kerala, where he is up against the likes of Communist Party of India (CPI)’s Annie Raja and BJP’s K Surendran in the Left Front-held state.
In 2019, Gandhi defeated the CPI candidate by more than 400,000 votes, his highest margin in Kerala, but lost two seats to the BJP in the Amethi family stronghold in northern India. India allows candidates to contest multiple seats, but they can only retain one seat if they register multiple wins.
After losing power to the Bharatiya Janata Party in 2014, the Congress slumped to a historic low, but in 2019, Kerala won the most seats, 15, and the second-lowest, 52. did.
The party won only one of the 28 seats in 2019, but gained momentum after defeating the BJP in last year’s state elections and is expected to do even better in Karnataka this year.
Nationwide, the party is seen as still struggling, with bickering within the opposition coalition led by the party and corruption scandals against some of its leaders hampering its challenge to Prime Minister Modi.
“Phase 2 was amazing!” PM Modi posted on X after the voting ended. “The unparalleled support for the NDA will further disappoint the opposition parties,” he said, referring to the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance.
