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INDIANS VOTE IN HUGE ELECTION DOMINATED BY JOBS, HINDU PRIDE AND MODI

By Krishn Kaushik, Praveen Paramasivam and YP Rajesh
April 19, 20245:58 PM GMT+2Updated 10 hours ago
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 * Summary

 * Election to run seven weeks with 968 million eligible voters
 * 60% voters turnout in first phase
 * PM Modi expected to win rare third term
 * Modi showcases growth, welfare, Hindu nationalism
 * Demoralised opposition struggles to mount challenge

KAIRANA/CHENNAI, India, April 19 (Reuters) - The first of India's almost one
billion voters cast ballots on Friday in the country's multi-day election, as
Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeks a rare third term on the back of issues such
as growth, welfare and Hindu nationalism.
The vote pits Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) against an alliance of two
dozen opposition parties that promise greater affirmative action and more
handouts while stressing what they call the need to save democratic
institutions.
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Nearly 970 million people are eligible to vote in the seven-phase exercise, the
world's largest election, which runs through the peak of summer until June 1,
with results set for June 4.
Election Commission figures after polls closed on Friday's first day of voting
estimated voter turnout at 60%, with the small northeastern state of Tripura top
of the list at 80% and the northwestern state of Rajasthan at the bottom with
51%.
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"Polling for the first phase...recorded high voter turnout despite the heat
wave," the panel said. "The voting percentage is likely to go upwards when
reports from all polling stations are obtained."
Friday's vote covered 166 million voters in 102 constituencies across 21 states
and territories, from Tamil Nadu in the south to Arunachal Pradesh on the
Himalayan frontier with China.
Opinion polls have suggested the BJP will easily win a majority, even though
voters worry about unemployment, inflation and rural distress in the world's
most populous country and fastest growing major economy.
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"Modi will come back to power, because apart from the religious push, his other
work, in areas such as safety and security, is good," said Abdul Sattar, 32, a
Muslim voter in the city of Kairana in the most populous state of Uttar Pradesh.
Jobs were the chief concern for Mohammed Shabbir, another Muslim voter in
Kairana. None of his eight children had regular employment, the 60-year-old
driver said.

"Even the Hindus are affected by a lack of jobs," he said, adding that the
problem outweighed the appeal of Hindu nationalism in the Hindu-majority nation.
Hindu nationalism is a key election theme, especially after Modi's consecration
of a grand temple to Lord Ram in January on a site in Uttar Pradesh believed to
be his birthplace, more than three decades after a Hindu mob destroyed a
16th-century mosque that had stood there, leading to nationwide religious riots.
In 2019, the Supreme Court handed over the land to Hindus and ordered allotment
of a separate plot to Muslims to build a new mosque.
Critics accuse Modi's government and party of treating India's 200 million
minority Muslims unfairly to please their hardline Hindu base - an accusation
that both deny.
Modi aims to win 370 of parliament's 543 seats, up from 303 in 2019, hoping for
a two-thirds majority that some analysts and opposition members fear could let
his party usher in far-reaching constitutional changes.


STRONG SOUTHERN PUSH

But in Tamil Nadu, one of India's most developed states where the BJP is weak,
voters seemed divided on whether Modi's strong push this time round would
benefit his party.
Maximize
Item 1 of 16 Voters line up outside a polling station to vote during the first
phase of the general election in Kairana, in the northern Indian state of Uttar
Pradesh, India. REUTERS/Anushree Fadnavis
[1/16]Voters line up outside a polling station to vote during the first phase of
the general election in Kairana, in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh,
India. REUTERS/Anushree Fadnavis Purchase Licensing RightsNew Tab, opens new tab
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"Modi has made India a peaceful country, particularly for Hindus," said S.
Rajagopal, a three-wheel taxi driver in the state capital of Chennai.
"The BJP may not boost its vote share in Tamil Nadu but nationwide, Modi will
win hands down again."
However, V. Parasuraman, 55, a businessman in construction, said the BJP had
done little for Tamil Nadu, adding, "People here are educated and ... won't fall
for Modi's sugar-coated words."
The BJP campaign focuses on Modi’s guarantee to deliver on promises to voters.
"The country has made up its mind," Modi said at a campaign rally on Friday.
"After today's first round of voting, there is one thing visible...the country
wants a strong, stable government", and voting for the opposition alliance "is
as good as wasting your vote", he said.
Campaigning continues during the election process for seats that are scheduled
to vote in later phases.
Victory for Modi would make him only the second Indian prime minister to be
elected three times in a row, after post-independence leader Jawaharlal Nehru.


WEAK, FRAGMENTED OPPOSITION

Surveys show a big gap between the BJP and the opposition but political analyst
Sandeep Shastri of research firm Lokniti Network said it was not "necessarily
unsurmountable".
"Many voters say that we take our decision on who to vote for during campaigning
and many say we do it closer to the day of voting," he said. "So there is also
scope for campaigning to impact the nature of the verdict."
But some BJP insiders and analysts say the party is worried about complacency or
overconfidence among voters and party members, and needs to draw more people to
vote.
Yet the opposition's INDIA alliance has struggled to forge unity. It has accused
the government of hobbling its efforts by arresting its leaders in graft cases
and making huge tax demands ahead of the vote - a charge the government denies.
Rahul Gandhi, leader of the main opposition Congress party, said on X the
election would decide the future of Indian democracy.
"Strengthen democracy by applying the balm of your vote to the wounds inflicted
on the soul of the nation in the last 10 years ... defeat hatred," he said on
Friday.

The elections in the world’s largest democracy for 543 seats will be held in 7
phases.

Coming soon: Get the latest news and expert analysis about the state of the
global economy with Reuters Econ World. Sign up here.

Reporting by Krishn Kaushik in Kairana, Praveen Paramasivam in Chennai and YP
Rajesh in New Delhi; Additional reporting by Shivam Patel, Sudipto Ganguly,
Sakshi Dayal, Shivangi Acharya, Shilpa Jamkhandikar, Subrata Nag Choudhury and
Jatindra Dash Writing by YP Rajesh Editing by Clarence Fernandez and Frances
Kerry

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.New Tab, opens new tab

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Purchase Licensing Rights
Krishn Kaushik

Thomson Reuters

Krishn reports on politics and strategic affairs from the Indian subcontinent.
He has previously worked at the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting
Project, an international investigative consortium; The Indian Express; and The
Caravan magazine, writing about defence, politics, law, conglomerates, media,
elections and investigative projects. A graduate of Columbia University's
journalism school, Krishn has won multiple awards for his work.

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