Indians begin voting in election, results expected in June
DELHI India began its general election yesterday, with over 968 million people eligible to vote in the seven-phase polls pitting the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party of Prime Minister Narendra Modi against the main opposition Indian National Congress.
Spanning over six weeks, the general election in the world's largest democracy will continue to June 1, with vote counting to take place on June 4. The first phase of voting yesterday was being held in 102 of the 543 total constituencies.
Indian media opinion polls have shown the BJP ahead of
Congress, predicting a victory that will secure a third five-year term since 2014 for 73-year-old Modi.
The Hindu nationalist BJP has pledged to empower youth, women, farmers and the underprivileged, calling them "four strong pillars of developed India." The party is also pointing to high economic growth under Modi's rule over the past decade, with the country climbing to fifth from 10th in terms of gross domestic product.
As Modi released the BJP'S manifesto on Sunday he referred to a high-speed railway project using Japanese bullet train technology that will start commercial operation between Mumbai and Ahmedabad in western India by 2026. He said he would extend the railway service to northern, south and eastern India if he returns to office.
Congress, which is leading a coalition of more than a dozen opposition parties, meanwhile, has promised to implement measures to help people in need irrespective of India's caste system and to guarantee prices for farm products.
The centre-left Congress party had ruled India for over 50 years but was defeated in the previous two elections under the leadership of Rahul Gandhi, the son of the late Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.
In January, Modi's government inaugurated a temple in the northern town of Ayodhya to woo Hindu voters. The Ram Mandir temple was built on the site of the 16th-century Babri Mosque, which was destroyed by a Hindu mob in 1992.
The BJP won 303 of the 543 constituency seats in the lower house, the Lok Sabha, in the 2019 election, with the Congress party only securing 52.
In a lower house election, two seats are filled by appointees of the country's president.