Modi’s home state Gujarat among 11 territories voting in third phase of giant Indian elections

By Sumit Khanna

AHMEDABAD, India (Reuters) – Eleven Indian states and territories, including the prime minister Narendra ModiThe home state of Gujarat began voting on Tuesday in the third phase of general elections, with the country’s Election Commission urging people to ensure high turnout.

India began voting on April 19 in a seven-phase election in which nearly a billion people are eligible to vote, with votes scheduled to be counted on June 4.

Modi is seeking a rare third consecutive term in a vote that pits his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) against an alliance of more than two dozen opposition parties. Polls suggest he will win a comfortable majority.

Modi’s campaign began by highlighting his economic record, social measures, national pride and personal popularity.

But he changed course after the first phase and focused more on strengthening the BJP’s Hindu base by attacking his rivals as pro-Muslim, even though surveys indicate that employment and inflation are the voters’ main concerns.

In an interview with Times Now channel aired on Monday, Modi said he was not opposed to Islam or Muslims and wanted the community to think about its future growth while voting.

Tuesday’s poll involves 93 seats in 11 states and territories, with Gujarat and Maharashtra in the west and Karnataka in the south accounting for 50 seats.

Modi will be among the 172 million voters eligible to vote on Tuesday. He is expected to vote in Gujarat’s Gandhinagar constituency, where his powerful number two, Home Minister Amit Shah, is the BJP candidate.

In the 2019 elections, the BJP won more than 70 of the 93 seats up for grabs on Tuesday, but it faces tougher struggles this time as the main opposition Congress party gained strength in Karnataka and a regional partner split in Maharashtra.

The voter turnout of 66.14% and 66.71% respectively in the first two phases was slightly lower than the corresponding phases five years ago, with analysts blaming summer heat and the absence of a single strong issue to motivate voters.

The Electoral Commission has since stepped up campaigns to encourage people to vote while consulting with weather officials and health and disaster agencies to address the heatwave’s impact on Tuesday’s vote.

“Weather conditions are expected to be within normal limits,” he said in a statement on the eve of the vote, calling on voters to “show up in greater numbers at polling stations and vote with responsibility and pride.

It also encourages voter outreach to increase participation through messages and songs during Indian Premier League cricket matches, Facebook alerts, announcements at railway stations and on board flights, messages on airline tickets. trains, milk packets, at gas stations, and films and songs in cinemas. , among others.

The music app Spotify has created an “election playlist” to motivate voters, and celebrities are being used to make appeals through radio and television ads, it says.

(Reporting by Sumit Khanna in Ahmedabad; Writing by YP Rajesh; Editing by Lincoln Feast.)