Will India's Narendra Modi secure a second term?
Dialogue with Yang Rui
["china"]
02:44
India's 900 million registered voters are casting ballots in national elections that started on April 11, with the results to be announced on May 23. 
Five years on from his first victory, Prime Minister Narendra Modi wants a fresh mandate to continue his mission to transform India. But the main opposition Congress Party says he has failed in key areas.
Appearing on CGTN's Dialogue with Yang Rui, Atul Aneja, associate editor of The Hindu newspaper, noted that Modi has a mixed track record.
The Indian people have had high expectations of him since he promised to reindustrialize India and transform it from an IT service economy into a manufacturing economy, which would create millions of jobs. He also vowed to turn India from an emerging market to a global power.
But "at the end of five years, we found that on the economic front, I think he's not done as well as he promised. In fact, far short of expectations," said Aneja.
Congress party leader Rahul Gandhi, one of Modi's major opponents, was considered a figure of ridicule in political circles a few years ago, but is now seen as a serious young and up-and-coming leader, Aneja noted.
The way Gandhi conducts himself and his grip on issues have improved remarkably.
"He is a work in progress, and I suspect he's only going to improve as the years pass," said Aneja.
Gandhi has portrayed himself as an advocate for the downtrodden, a man from the masses, as opposed to Modi and his "plutocratic” and “majoritarian” ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). But whether the message gets through remains a question. 
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For Ye Hailin, from the China Academy of Social Sciences, the elections are not just a test for Modi but also for the BJP and even for China and India, as the two Asian giants consider how to manage their relations in the future. 
Ye predicted that Modi will win a second term but the BJP will face problems since people still have high hopes for Modi but are disappointed with the party. 
"Modi is the only choice for BJP supporters," he said. "The BJP will be a leading party, but not a dominant one."
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