NEW DELHI: Indians started voting Saturday in the last round of a six-week-long election that is a referendum on Hindu extremist Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s decade in power, local and western media reported. The 7th round of voting in 57 constituencies across seven states and one union territory will complete polling for all 543 seats in the lower house of parliament. About 970 million voters — more than 10 percent of the world’s population — were eligible to elect a new parliament for next five years. Over 8,300 candidates are taking part in the elections. The votes will be counted Tuesday, with results likely by the end of the day.
Modi’s campaign, vying for a third-straight term, started on a platform of economic progress. However, it has turned increasingly harsh in recent weeks as Hindu extremist Modi escalated polarizing rhetoric in back-to-back incendiary speeches that mostly targeted the country’s Muslim minority.
Modi’s rule has seen hate speech and brazen attacks against minorities, particularly Muslims. Modi’s party has faced firm resistance from the opposition alliance and Rahul Gandhi of the Congress party. The opposition parties have attacked Modi over his Hindu extremist politics and are hoping to benefit from increasing economic discontent.
Pre-poll surveys suggested that voters were increasingly worried regarding unemployment, the rise in food prices and an overall sentiment that only a small portion of people have benefitted under Modi’s regime, making the contest appear closer than initially expected.
