It鈥檚 in our hands now: India goes to the polls
Print Edition
Indians voted enthusiastically yesterday at the start of a general election, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking a second term after campaigning fervently on a plank of national security, following tension with neighboring Pakistan.
People trekked, rode bicycles and drove tractors to polling stations in the world鈥檚 biggest democratic exercise, with nearly 900 million eligible to vote during seven phases of balloting spread over 39 days, and vote-counting is set for May 23.
鈥淚鈥檝e never missed my vote in my life,鈥 said Anima Saikia, a 61-year-old woman in the northeastern state of Assam, who was among early voters in the first phase.
鈥淭his is the only time we can do something. The game is in our hands right now.鈥
Boosted by a surge in nationalist fervor after hostilities with Pakistan in February, Modi鈥檚 Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party held the advantage going into the election, opinion polls showed.
But distress over growing unemployment and weak farm incomes in rural areas, home to two-thirds of Indians, is expected to shrink the tally of Modi鈥檚 BJP alliance to a far smaller majority than in the 2014 election.
鈥淗e鈥檚 improved India鈥檚 global standing and taken revenge against our enemies,鈥 Sachin Tyagi, 38, owner of a mobile telephone shop, said near a polling station in northern Uttar Pradesh, India鈥檚 most populous state.
鈥淚 am happy with Modi-ji but the employment situation could be improved,鈥 he added, using an honorific suffix.
By 3pm, with three hours to the close of polling, more than half of voters had turned out in most states, the Election Commission said.
The main opposition Indian National Congress party is leading the fight against the BJP, hoping to bank on the charisma of its president, Rahul Gandhi, drawn from the Nehru-Gandhi family.
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