India votes in penultimate phase of seven-round general election

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Voters in Delhi and elsewhere in India's north lined up early on Sunday to cast their ballots in the second-to-last round of a seven-phase general election, with the opposition seeking a united stand to deny Prime Minister Narendra Modi a second term.

More than 100 million people across seven states are eligible to vote in the sixth phase of the 39-day-long poll, which Modi began on April 11 as front-runner.

But diverse opposition parties have recently taken heart at what they see as signs Modi's Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) may be losing ground and have begun negotiations over a post-election alliance even before polling ends on May 19. Votes will be counted on May 23.

A man holding a child reacts behind a voting compartment as he prepares to cast his vote at a polling station during the sixth phase of the general election, in New Delhi, India, May 12, 2019. /Reuters Photo‍

Some voters in Delhi said they were backing Modi because they were won over by his tough stand on security.

"I have voted for Modi's sound foreign policy and national security," said a 36-year-old first-time voter who declined to be identified.

Political analysts say that state-based and caste-driven parties could be decisive in determining the make-up of the next government, as a lack of new jobs and weak farm prices have hurt the BJP.

"Regional parties will play a bigger role compared to the previous five years or even 15 years," said K.C. Suri, a political science professor at the University of Hyderabad. "They will regain their importance in national politics."

Source(s): Reuters