VARANASI, India — Indians flocked to the polls under scorching heat in the Hindu holy city of Varanasi on Saturday as a marathon national election reached its final day, six weeks after voting first began. AFP PHOTOIt is one of the final cities to vote in India's grueling election and where public support for Modi's ever-closer alignment of religion and politics burns brightest. Turnout is down several percentage points from the last national election in 2019, with analysts blaming widespread expectations of a Modi victory, as well as successive heat waves scorching India's northern states. "It's already so hot," Chinta Devi, who arrived to cast her vote at eight in the morning, told AFP. "People now look at India and Indians with a lot more respect, something not accorded earlier."

Source: Manila Times June 01, 2024 22:42 UTC