India begins the second phase of its general elections with Modi’s party as the favorite

62

NEW DELHI (AP) — Millions of Indians began voting Friday in the second phase of a general election in which Prime Minister Narendra Modi sought to mobilize voters with his strong Hindu nationalist politics.

Voters lined up outside the voting centers when they opened at 7 in the morning. Participation is expected to increase during the day.

The outcome of Friday’s vote will be crucial for Modi’s Hindu nationalist party, the Bharatiya Janata Party, as the 88 constituencies up for grabs in 13 states include some of its strongholds in regions such as Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra. .

Most polls point to a victory for Modi and the BJP, which faces a broad opposition coalition led by the Indian National Congress and powerful regional parties.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is contesting for the second time from the Wayanad constituency in the southern state of Kerala, following his defeat in elections five years ago against BJP leader Smriti Irani in the northern city. of Amethi, traditional fiefdom of the Nehru-Gandhi family.

Among the prominent candidates in this second phase are Shashi Tharoor, of the Congress; popular Bollywood star Hema Malini of the BJP and actor Arun Govil, who played Lord Ram, revered in Hinduism, in a 1987 television adaptation of the ancient epic Ramayana.

Modi asked people to vote en masse to strengthen democracy.

“I especially urge our young voters and women to go to the polls in large numbers. “Your vote is your voice!” Modi said in a message on the social network X.

The BJP has already won the Surat seat in the state of Gujarat, where the Congress candidate was disqualified on Monday. Electoral authorities said they found discrepancies in the signatures on the ticket and other candidates withdrew from the race, giving BJP nominee Mukesh Dalal the victory by default.

Nearly 970 million voters — more than 10% of the world‘s population — will elect the 543 members of the lower house of parliament for a five-year term during staggered elections, ending June 1. Votes collected in all 28 states will be counted on June 4.

Participation in the first phase, on April 19, was estimated at around 62% of the 166.3 million people called to the polls. Some 160 million will be able to vote in the second.

In comparison, the 2019 general elections recorded the highest turnout in the history of parliamentary elections, 67.11%. Turnout is expected to increase in the remaining five voting phases.

The relative apathy of voters has surprised some political analysts, who point out that the BJP remains the favorite.

“You could say that the reluctance is a consequence of a foregone conclusion,” said Indian political scientist Pratap Bhanu Mehta.

“But for Modi’s party, which hopes to win 400 of the 543 seats, the wave of joy is missing,” he noted in an article in the Indian Express newspaper.

Critics of the prime minister, an avowed Hindu nationalist, argue that the country’s tradition of diversity and secularism has been threatened since the BPJ came to power a decade ago. They accuse the party of promoting religious intolerance, and sometimes even violence. The group denies the accusations and says its policies benefit all Indians.