India vote resumes as Modi remains popular choice

India's six-week election resumed yesterday with incumbent president Narendra Modi remains popular across much of India and his Hindu-nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is widely expected to win the poll when it concludes early next month.

India's election is conducted in seven phases over six weeks to ease the immense logistical burden of staging the democratic exercise in the country.

More than 968 million people are eligible to vote in India's election, with the final round of polling on June 1 and results expected three days later.

Turnout so far has declined significantly from the last national poll in 2019, according to election commission figures.

Analysts have blamed widespread expectations that Modi will easily win a third term and hotter-than-average temperatures heading into the summer.

India's weather bureau has forecast more hot spells in May and the election commission formed a taskforce last month to review the impact of heat and humidity before each round of voting.

But Modi's government's decision in 2019 to bring Kashmir under its direct rule has been deeply resented among the region's residents, who will be voting for the first time since the move.

"What we're telling voters now is that you have to make your voice heard," said former chief minister Omar Abdullah, whose National Conference party is campaigning for the restoration of Kashmir's former semi-autonomy.

"The point of view that we want people to send out is that what happened... is not acceptable to them," he told AFP.

Kashmir has been divided between India and Pakistan since their independence in 1947. Both claim it in full and have fought two wars over control of the Himalayan region.

Violence has dwindled since the Indian portion of the territory was brought under direct rule five years ago.

Modi's government says its cancelling of Kashmir's special status has brought "peace and development", and it has consistently claimed the move was supported by Kashmiris.

But his party any candidates

The point of view that we want people to send out is that what happened... is not acceptable to them."

Former chief minister

Omar Abdullah,

has not fielded in the Kashmir valley for the first time since 1996, and experts say the BJP would have been roundly defeated if it had.

The BJP has appealed to voters to instead support smaller and newly created parties that have publicly aligned with Modi's policies.