Polls close in India's marathon vote

India’s six-week-long national election comes to an end as the last of the country's hundreds of millions of voters went to the polls in a vote widely seen as a referendum on Hindu Nationalist Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s decade in power.

By Linda Bordoni

The marathon, multi-phase election, considered one of the most consequential in India’s history, saw candidates crossing the country, poll workers hiked to remote villages, and voters lined up for hours in sweltering heat.

Nearly 970 million voters — more than 10% of the world’s population, have cast their ballots for the over 8,300 candidates running for five-year terms in parliament.

Results are expected to be announced Tuesday. If Prime Minister Narendra Modi wins, he’ll be the second Indian leader to retain power for a third term after Jawaharlal Nehru, the country’s first prime minister.

An Indian voter gets his finger marked with ink during the last phase of the Indian elections

Modi leading in polls

Most poll surveys show Modi and his nationalist BJP party leading over the broad opposition alliance that’s challenging them, led by the Congress party.

Modi’s campaign began on a platform of economic progress, with vows to uplift the poor and turn India into a developed nation by 2047. But it turned increasingly divisive as the Prime Minister escalated polarizing rhetoric with speeches that targeted the country’s Muslim minority.

Since coming to power in 2014, Modi has enjoyed immense popularity. His supporters see him as a self-made, strong leader who has improved India’s standing in the world, and credit his pro-business policies with making the economy the world’s fifth-largest.

Attacks against minorities

At the same time, his rule has seen brazen attacks and hate speech against minorities, particularly Muslims.

His critics say India’s democracy is faltering and as the campaign ground on, his party faced stiff resistance from the opposition alliance and its main face, Rahul Gandhi of the Congress party.

They have attacked Modi over his Hindu nationalist politics and are hoping to benefit from growing economic discontent.

Analysts say they have managed to derail his plan by setting the narrative to local issues, like unemployment and the economy.

(Source AP News Agency)