NEW DELHI — india marathon election enter your final phase on Tuesday with the counting of more than 640 million votes in the world’s largest democratic exercise, which was widely expected to return Prime Minister Narendra Modi to a third term after a decade in power.
He Six-week elections It was seen as a referendum on Modi. If the 73-year-old wins, it will be only the second time an Indian leader has retained power for a third term after Jawaharlal Nehru, the country’s first prime minister.
Exit surveys in Saturday Major television channels projected a comfortable victory for Modi’s Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party and its allies across a broad spectrum. opposition alliance led by the Congress Party and its main campaign leader, Rahul Gandhi.
Indian television channels have had mixed results in the past when it comes to predicting election results.
Almost 970 million people, more than 10% of the world’s population, had the right to vote. Participation averaged 66% in the seven phases, according to official data.
The counting of votes at counting centers in each of the 543 constituencies where elections were held could extend into the night before the Election Commission of India announces the final result.
But clues will emerge sooner and indicate where the results may be headed.
In his 10 years in power, Modi has transformed India’s political landscape. His popularity has surpassed that of his party, turning a parliamentary election into one that increasingly resembles a presidential-style campaign. The result is that the BJP is increasingly reliant on Modi’s enduring brand to stay in power, with local politicians taking a backseat even in state elections.
“Modi was not just the main activist, but the only activist in this election,” said Yamini Aiyar, a public policy scholar.
His supporters see him as a strong, self-made leader who has improved India’s standing in the world, and credit his pro-business policies with making the economy the fifth largest in the world.
But a decade of his leadership has also left the country deeply divided. Modi’s critics and opponents say his Hindu politics first have generated intolerance, hate speech and blatant attacks against the country’s minorities, especially Muslims, who represent 14% of the population.
India’s economy, one of the fastest growing, has become more unequal under the Modi government. While stock markets reach record levels and millionaires multiply, youth unemployment has skyrocketed, with only a small portion of indians benefiting from the economic boom.
The country’s democracy, Modi’s critics say, is faltering under his government, which has increasingly used heavy-handed tactics to subdue political opponents, pressure independent media and stifle dissent. The government has rejected such accusations and says democracy is flourishing.
When polls opened in mid-April, an initially confident BJP focused his campaign on “Modi guarantees,” highlighting the economic and welfare achievements that his party says have reduced poverty. With him at the helm, “India will become a developed nation in 2047,” Modi repeated at rally after rally.
But the campaign became increasingly strident as Modi intensified his polarizing rhetoric aimed at voters. muslim minoritya tactic seen to energize his core Hindu-majority voters.
His opposition, the INDIA alliance led by the Congress Party, has attacked Modi for his Hindu nationalist politics. He hopes to benefit from simmering economic discontent and his campaign has focused on issues of unemployment, inflation and inequality.
But the broad alliance of more than a dozen political parties has been beset by ideological differences and defections, raising questions about its effectiveness. Meanwhile, the alliance has also stated that they have been unfairly targeted, pointing to a series of raids, arrests and corruption investigations against its leaders by federal agencies that they say are politically motivated. The government has denied it.
Another victory would cement Modi as one of the country’s most popular and important leaders. It would come after a resounding victory in 2019, when the BJP won 303 of 543 parliamentary seats.
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