Indians cast ballots in 5th phase of election

AYODHYA, India — Millions of Indians across 49 constituencies began casting ballots on Monday as the country's six-week-long election enters its final stages with voting also being held in northern Ayodhya city, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi opened a controversial Hindu temple on the site of a razed mosque.

Monday's polling in the fifth round of multiphase national elections across six states and two union territories is crucial for Modi's ruling Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party, as it includes some of its strongholds in states such as Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.

The polls in Uttar Pradesh's Ayodhya are seen as a litmus test for Modi's Hindu-first politics, as he hailed the opening of the Ram temple as his government's crowning achievement.

The staggered election will run until June 1 and nearly 970 million eligible voters, or more than 10 percent of the world's population, will elect 543 members to the lower house of parliament for five years.

Modi this year opened the Hindu temple built on the grounds of a centuries-old mosque razed by Hindu mobs in 1992. The temple was built at an estimated cost of $217 million and its opening was seen as a political triumph for the populist leader. The opening of the temple also fulfilled a long-standing demand of the majority Hindus.

Modi and his party, who have mixed religion and politics, hope that Hindu sentiment and fervor over the opening of the temple will help catapult the prime minister to a record third successive term. But experts say the issue may not be enough to rally the region's Hindu majority toward the BJP, particularly at a time when many Indians say they are affected by rising unemployment and inflation.

'Glaring problems'

"Issues like unemployment, inflation, lack of security and the government's attempts to muzzle dissent are glaring problems that the BJP has no answers to," said Amarnath Agarwal, a political analyst.

Excitement over the Hindu temple may not have translated into a significant political issue for the ruling party, Agarwal said, and it is "evident from the lack of interest among voters, reflected in a notably low turnout".

With two more phases of polling left, overall voter turnout has been lower than in previous elections.

In Ayodhya, where the temperature is expected to touch 40 C, voters lined up at polling stations early in the morning to cast their ballots.

Sudha Pandey, a teacher, said she is not sure whether the opening of the temple will benefit Modi's party but said the Hindu majority is extremely happy because of it.

"Ram temple is a matter of our faith. Our faith has been emboldened by it," she said.

Shachindra Sharma, who voted on Monday, said while the temple was a matter of faith for many Hindus like him, he would vote for a party that upholds constitutional values.

"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. Is there any guarantee that a party advocating for the Ram temple will provide security and lead the country toward progress?" Sharma said.

Agencies Via Xinhua