Key Points
Hundreds of millions of votes cast, more than six weeks of polling, and billions of dollars spent: India on Tuesday will declare a new leader after a mammoth nationwide election that has become a referendum on the last decade of leadership by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.. ..
His powerful right-wing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had set out to win a supermajority in the lower house of parliament or Lok Sabha a goal which, if successful, would give it an unstoppable mandate to further enshrine its Hindu-nationalist agenda, deepening Indias move away from its secular foundations.. ..
His BJP centered its manifesto on job creation and anti-poverty programs, with a focus on women, the poor and farmers. Hes promised to turn India into a developed nation by 2047 and transform the country into a global manufacturing hub.. . . Yet, on the campaign trail, he has been accused of deploying openly divisive rhetoric that has been condemned as Islamophobic, while casting himself as an instrument chosen by God.. . Modi sparked a row over hate speech when he accused Muslims who have been part of India for centuries of being infiltrators, and echoing a false conspiracy voiced by some Hindu nationalists that Muslims are displacing the countrys Hindu population by deliberately having large families..
The arrest in March of the popular Aam Aadmi Party leader, chief minister of Delhi and staunch Modi critic Arvind Kejriwal sparked protests in the capital and prompted claims of a political conspiracy by his party claims the BJP has denied.. . Kejriwals release on interim bail last month galvanized the opposition to put up a tough fight against the BJP, uniting a group of political leaders who were once divided over ideological differences.. ..
The Congress manifesto has also been dubbed one of Indias most progressive, pledging freedom from fear and vowing to protect freedom of speech, expression and religious belief espoused in the constitution.. . Turnout across all seven phases has slightly dipped from the record highs of 2019, yet Indias general election remains the largest exercise in democracy, with hundreds of millions showing up to determine who will lead the worlds most populous country..
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