India election: Voting continues amid severe heat wave
Published May 20, 2024last updated May 20, 2024
What you need to know
Voting in the fifth phase of the Indian election began on Monday as several parts of the country are experiencing a severe heat wave, with turnout down from the last elections.
Today's phase will include 49 constituencies across six states and two union territories.
Ineligible 17-year-old voted eight times for Modi's party
Indian police arrested an ineligible 17-year-old in Uttar Pradesh, India's most populous state, for voting eight times for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ruling party, as rivals cried voter fraud in the ongoing national election.
The incident occurred in Farrukhabad, about 190 kilometers (120 miles) west of the state capital, Lucknow.
The Election Commission of India suspended polling officials and ordered a fresh vote at the polling station after the excited minor's video of himself voting on May 13 for the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) went viral.
"This is the second vote," says the boy, smiling into his phone's camera after pressing the button on the electronic voting machine for a BJP candidate in Uttar Pradesh, then adding more votes before finally stopping after the eighth time.
"We have detained the juvenile and prima facie he has verified what was visible to all in the viral video," deputy police superintendent Dhananjay Singh Kushwaha said.
The chief electoral office in Uttar Pradesh said on X, formerly Twitter, that all polling officials at the polling station had been suspended and would be disciplined.
In Ayodhya, Ram temple a major election issue
Monday's polling in the fifth round of India's national elections is critical for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), as it includes its stronghold Uttar Pradesh, particularly the city of Ayodhya.
The polls in Ayodhya are seen as a test for Modi's Hindu-first politics. In January, Modi oversaw the opening of the $217-million (€200-million) Hindu temple, built on a site where a mosque was destroyed in 1992.
The ruling government has highlighted the temple as its crowning achievement.
In Ayodhya, amid soaring temperatures, Shachindra Sharma questioned the merit of voting along religious lines. "Why should the Ram Temple be a guiding factor for voters? Lord Ram is a matter of faith, while voting is a democratic process to elect a government," Sharma told the AP news agency. "Is there any guarantee that a party advocating for the Ram Temple will provide security and lead the country towards progress?"
His wife, Renuka Sharma, countered his view and said, "Lord Ram is the biggest issue in this election."
While issues such as unemployment and inflation affect voters, Modi and the BJP hope the Hindu sentiment over the temple will help him secure a third term.
Uttar Pradesh's Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, also of the BJP, has framed the election as a choice between "devotees of Ram" and "anti-Ram forces," urging votes for those who built the Ram Temple.
Mumbai votes, Rahul Gandhi in the fray
Millions in the states of Uttar Pradesh (UP), West Bengal, Maharashtra and Jharkhand are voting in India's election under extreme conditions, with temperatures expected to reach 40°C (104°F) on Monday.
The election is being conducted in seven phases over six weeks, with Monday's voting also covering India's financial capital, Mumbai.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to win a third term, with strong support from the city's business and entertainment elite.
Yet, with less than two weeks left of a six-week voting schedule, lower voter turnout has been a cause of concern for Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
While Modi's party has been promising more than 400 seats in the 543-seat parliament in its pre-election campaigns, the nationalist party seems to facing stronger opposition than anticipated in some states.
Most experts expect Modi to retain a majority in the parliament, but think the numbers may not be as high as predicted.
The Congress party scion Rahul Gandhi, one of Modi's primary rivals, will also be in the fray on Monday contesting from Raebareli in UP. Gandhi is also contesting from Wayanad in the south, which has already voted.
Meanwhile, the opposition INDIA alliance, which includes Congress and several other political parties, received a significant boost as Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, a vocal critic of Modi, was granted bail by the court, allowing him to campaign in the election.
The counting of the votes will happen on June 4.
ss/rc (RTRS, AFP, AP)