India votes in second phase of mammoth polls

After a high-octane campaign, India today goes into the second phase of voting in the marathon seven-phase general election as Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeks a rare third term on the back of issues such as growth, welfare and Hindu nationalism.

The second phase will cover 88 Lok Sabha constituencies across 13 states Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Manipur, Rajasthan, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, and Jammu & Kashmir. After the second phase, the voters' decision in 291 out of the total of 543 Lok Sabha constituencies will be sealed in EVMs.

The polling was supposed to be held in 89 Lok Sabha constituencies, but voting in a seat of Madhya Pradesh has been postponed to the third phase after a  candidate died there.

Over 15.88 crore voters are eligible to vote in the second phase including 3.28 crore first-time voters.

The vote pits Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) against an alliance of two dozen opposition parties that promise greater affirmative action and more handouts while stressing what they call the need to save democratic institutions.

Nearly 970 million people are eligible to vote in the seven-phase exercise, the world's largest election, which runs through the peak of summer until June 1, with results set for June 4.

The first phase of the election, held last Friday for 102 seats across 21 states and union territories, saw a voter turnout of around 65.5 per cent. Ten states and UTs were fully covered while 11 states and UTs were partially covered by polling in the first phase.

Compared to the first phase of the 2019 general election, the voter turnout was lower.

In the second phase, polling is scheduled in all 20 seats of Kerala, 14 of the 28 seats in Karnataka, 13 seats in Rajasthan, 8 seats each in Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh, 6 seats in Madhya Pradesh, 5 seats each in Assam and Bihar, 3 seats each in Chhattisgarh and West Bengal, and 1 seat each in Manipur, Tripura and Jammu and Kashmir.

In 2019, the BJP-led alliance won 56 of the 89 seats on offer in the second phase. The opposition block won 24.

After today's phase, polling will be over in Kerala, Rajasthan and Tripura.

Among the key contestants in the second phase are Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi, Shashi Tharoor, federal minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar of BJP and Bollywood actress Hema Malini.

The high-octane campaigning for the second round of polling saw Modi kicking up a row on Sunday while addressing a rally in Rajasthan's Banswara. Slamming the Congress manifesto, he alleged the opposition party was planning to give people's hard-earned money and valuables to "infiltrators" and "those who have more children". He referred to former prime minister Manmohan Singh's speech in 2006 to contend that the former PM had said Muslims have the "first claim" on the country's resources.

Congress quickly responded by saying that after facing "disappointment" in the first phase of Lok Sabha polls, the prime minister was resorting to "hate speech" to divert people from the real issues.

The party also filed a complaint to the Election Commission accusing Modi of "blatantly targeting" a particular minority in the campaign speech.

The world's most populous country is constitutionally secular and its election code bans canvassing based on "communal feelings".

The party urged the EC to take action against Modi for his remarks, alleging they were 'divisive', and 'malicious'.

However, the next day, addressing a rally in Uttar Pradesh, Modi again accused Congress of planning to redistribute people's property if it is voted to power but stopped short of saying that the wealth would go to Muslims.

Meanwhile, India's EC yesterday sought responses from the ruling BJP and opposition Congress to complaints of the alleged violation of the model code of conduct during the polls campaign.

In separate letters to BJP President J P Nadda and Congress President Mallikarjun Khage, the EC, without naming any leader, has sought their replies by April 29.

Opinion polls have suggested the BJP will easily win a majority, even though voters worry about unemployment, inflation and rural distress in the world's most populous country and fastest-growing major economy.

Hindu nationalism is a key election theme, especially after Modi's consecration of a grand temple to Lord Ram in January on a site in Uttar Pradesh believed to be his birthplace, more than three decades after a Hindu mob destroyed a 16th-century mosque that had stood there, leading to nationwide riots.

In 2019, the Supreme Court handed over the land to Hindus and ordered the allotment of a separate plot to Muslims to build a new mosque.

Critics accuse Modi's government and party of treating India's 200 million minority Muslims unfairly to please their hardline Hindu base -- an accusation that both deny.

Modi aims to win 370 of parliament's 543 seats, up from 303 in 2019, hoping for a two-thirds majority that some analysts and opposition members fear could let his party usher in far-reaching constitutional changes.

In the first phase on April 19, polling was completed in all seats of Tamil Nadu (39), Uttarakhand (5), Arunachal Pradesh (2), Meghalaya (2), Andaman and Nicobar Islands (1), Mizoram (1), Nagaland (1), Puducherry (1), Sikkim (1) and Lakshadweep (1).

The third phase of the election is set for May 7, the fourth for May 13, the fifth for May 20, the sixth for May 25, and the final phase for June 1. Vote counting will take place on June 4.