India began voting in the second phase of the world’s biggest election, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his rivals focusing on hot-button issues such as religious discrimination, affirmative action, and taxes. Almost one billion people are eligible to vote in the seven-phase general elections that began on April 19 and concludes on June 1, with votes set to be counted on June 4.
Modi is seeking a record-equalling third straight term on the back of his economic record, welfare measures, national pride, Hindu nationalism, and personal popularity. Surveys suggest he will easily win a comfortable majority. His challengers have formed an alliance of more than two dozen parties and are promising greater affirmative action, more handouts, and an end to what they call Modi’s autocratic rule.
Friday’s polling will be held for 88 of the total 543 seats in the lower house of parliament with 160 million people eligible to vote. It will be spread across 13 states and federal territories in the world’s most populous country. More than half of those 88 seats are in the southern states of Kerala and Karnataka and the northwestern state of Rajasthan.
The campaign has become heated as Modi and the main opposition Congress party have faced off on communal issues. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is among the 1200 candidates in the fray on Friday, seeking re-election from Wayanad in Kerala. Congress is expected to do better in Karnataka, where it won just one of 28 seats in 2019 but gained strength and defeated BJP in state elections last year.
The Election Commission and political parties have been worried about voter turnout due to the summer heat and wedding season in some parts of the country, with turnout falling to around 65% in the first phase from nearly 70% in 2019. The poll panel has increased appeals for voter participation, asking them to “vote with responsibility and pride.”