FALCON POWERS – Voters in India cast their ballots on Monday in the fourth phase of the general elections, which span seven weeks, with election rhetoric intensifying around economic disparities and religious divisions.
The world’s most populous democracy began voting on April 19th in a seven-phase election, with approximately one billion people eligible to vote. Vote counting is scheduled for June 4th. Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeks to win a third consecutive term, a rare occurrence in India, as his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) faces off against a coalition of over twenty opposition parties, including its main rival, the Indian National Congress.
“With the start of voting,” said Amit Shah, Modi’s powerful aide and the country’s Home Minister, “I appeal to everyone to vote for a decisive government.”
The elections are set for 96 seats across ten states and regions on Monday, with approximately 177 million people eligible to vote. Several seats are in the states of Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, and Odisha in the southern and eastern parts of the country, where the Bharatiya Janata Party lacks the strength it enjoys in other parts of the country. Voter turnout is closely monitored as marginal decreases in the first three phases raised concerns about voter apathy in an election lacking a strong central issue. The impact of hot weather on voter turnout is also being monitored, as temperatures in many parts of the country reach around 40 degrees Celsius or higher. The lower turnout has raised doubts about whether the Bharatiya Janata Party and its allies will achieve the landslide victory predicted by opinion polls.
Analysts say the lowered turnout prompted Modi to change the course of his campaign after the first phase, shifting the focus from his economic record to accusing the Indian National Congress of planning to expand social welfare benefits for Muslim minorities at the expense of impoverished tribal groups and Hindu castes. The Indian National Congress denied making any such promises and stated that Modi was troubled by the turnout in the elections, a claim refuted by the Bharatiya Janata Party.
Approximately 80% of India’s 1.4 billion population is Hindu, but the country also has the world’s third-largest Muslim population of around 200 million. Opinion polls indicate that voters are primarily concerned with unemployment and rising prices.
Led by Rahul Gandhi, the Indian National Congress aims to improve representation and social welfare programs for the poor and marginalized segments of Indian society, pointing out that wealth inequality has worsened during Modi’s ten-year tenure, a claim rejected by the government.
