“Earlier we used to live under a scary environment, with politicians in nexus with criminals and terrorists. “This country is better off in all fields ,” said a surgeon who gave his name as Bhoj. Their IDs were checked at a booth decked in an elaborate pink lace curtain, marking the polling station out as one staffed entirely by women. Symbols and pictures are displayed next to candidates’ names to aid the country’s estimated 266 million illiterate citizens.Īt a public school-turned-voting station in Noida, a city that borders Delhi, voters arrived throughout the morning by car, motorcycle and rickshaw. Their fingers are marked with indelible ink to prevent anyone voting twice. Voters will make their choice using machines that display a paper record of their selection that is then stored in an attached locked box.
India’s phased election process allows federal security personnel to be shuttled around the country to secure the integrity of a contest involving up to 900 million eligible voters, more than the next five largest democracies combined. It will seek to make up those numbers in states such as West Bengal, parts of which are also voting today, and where the BJP’s message of Hindu unity, muscular foreign policy and pro-business reform has met with greater resistance from powerful regional parties.
The districts voting on Thursday include parts of north India’s “cow belt”, the agrarian states that Modi’s Bharatiya Janata party (BJP) swept in 2014 but where it is expected to shed seats this time. Modi encouraged Indians in a tweet on Thursday to “turn out in record numbers and exercise their franchise”, singling out the 45 million young people who have been added to the voter rolls since 2014. What's at stake as India's 900m voters head for the polls? Polls are now open in 91 seats, about a sixth of the total in the Indian parliament’s lower house, with six more voting days to be held before the results are announced on 23 May.
The contest in the vast country of 1.3 billion people is dominated by local issues but also viewed as a referendum on the prime minister, Narendra Modi, a staunch Hindu nationalist who rode a wave of popularity five years ago to become the first leader of a majority government in decades. The world’s largest ever election has started in India, with voters in 20 states casting their ballots in the first phase of a marathon six-week poll. See our Privacy Policy and Third Party Partners to learn more about the use of data and your rights. By clicking “I agree” below, you consent to the use by us and our third-party partners of cookies and data gathered from your use of our platforms. We use cookies and other technologies to customize your experience, perform analytics and deliver personalized advertising on our sites, apps and newsletters and across the Internet based on your interests. When you choose the lotus, it is your direct vote to elect Modi ji” Later, speaking at a public meet in Anand, Sitharaman said “The candidate (Mitesh Patel) is good, we all agree, the candidate has been a good party worker, but we should always remember that after 2014, for the Modi. The people have to vote for Modi ji not the candidate.