SAMASTIPUR, India (AP) \u2014 Millions of Indians across 96 constituencies began casting their ballots on Monday as the country\u2019s gigantic, six-week-long election edges past its halfway mark. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is seeking a third straight term with an eye on winning a supermajority in Parliament.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Monday\u2019s polling in the fourth round of multi-phase national elections across nine states and one union territory will be pivotal for Modi\u2019s Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party, as it includes some of its strongholds in states like Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Crucial seats in Maharashtra and Bihar states, where the BJP governs in alliances with regional parties, are also up for grabs in this phase.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In Bihar\u2019s Samastipur city, hundreds of voters lined up at a polling station that opened at 7 a.m. amid tight security arrangements. Voters said they were concerned about rising food prices, lack of employment and economic development in the state.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Most polls predict a win for Modi and his BJP, which is up against a broad opposition alliance led by the Indian National Congress and\u00a0powerful regional parties.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The\u00a0staggered election will run until June 1\u00a0and nearly 970 million voters, more than 10% of the world\u2019s population, will elect 543 members to the lower house of Parliament for five years. The votes are scheduled to be counted on June 4.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Monday will also see the end of polling in the country\u2019s five southern states, a region that has\u00a0mostly rejected Modi\u2019s BJP\u00a0since it first came to power in 2014 but where winning more seats is crucial for the party\u2019s campaign goal of securing a two-thirds majority in Parliament.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kashmir\u2019s largest city, Srinagar, will also vote Monday in the first polls since Modi\u2019s government\u00a0stripped the disputed region of its semi-autonomy\u00a0and took direct control of it in 2019. Despite hailing the move as a success that would bring economic development and peace to the restive region, the BJP is not contesting the polls in the Muslim-majority Kashmir valley, where anti-India sentiment runs deep, for the first time since 1996.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Instead, two regional parties \u2014 the National Conference and the People\u2019s Democratic Party \u2014 are the main contenders for the three seats in the valley and both are opposed to the BJP.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Opposition parties say the BJP\u2019s decision not to contest the election is in contrast to its claims and that poll results may contradict the government\u2019s narrative of success in Kashmir, which is now run by unelected government officials and bureaucrats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Waheed-Ur-Rehman Para, a leader of the People\u2019s Democratic Party who is seeking to represent Srinagar, said the election there was about \u201ca referendum against the government\u2019s decisions and policies that were implemented without any public consent.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While Modi began his campaign with a focus on India\u2019s development in his 10 years in power, he has since doubled down on the BJP\u2019s Hindu nationalism pitch in recent weeks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In campaign rallies, Modi has called Muslims \u201cinfiltrators\u201d and accused the main opposition Congress Party of scheming to redistribute wealth from the country\u2019s Hindus to Muslims, who comprise 14% of the country\u2019s more than 1.4 billion people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Nikhilesh Mishra, a 42-year-old bank employee in Samastipur, said: \u201cRaking up issues of Hindus versus Muslims will take us nowhere.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He said Modi\u2019s BJP-led alliance in Bihar, which secured an overwhelming majority in the 2019 election, had failed to bring development to the state, which is among the poorest in India.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mishra said rising inflation and unemployment are driving young people to migrate to other states, draining it of its talent. \u201cWe want development. … This time, we want change in the government,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Meanwhile, Modi appeared confident of BJP\u2019s chances in Bihar, telling the New Delhi Television channel on Sunday that his alliance will fare better than it did in the 2019 elections, when it lost one seat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe may not even lose one this time,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Some analysts say the change in tone comes as the BJP hopes to consolidate votes among the majority Hindu population, who make up 80% of voters, and to distract voters from larger issues, like unemployment, corruption and inflation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Despite India being one of the world\u2019s fastest-growing economies, many people continue to face economic distress, which has been a key focus in the opposition\u2019s campaign.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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