Modi's Hindu nationalist politics face a test as India holds fifth stage of national election

Modi’s Hindu nationalist politics face a test as India holds fifth stage of national election

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An Indian Hindu holy man shows his finger marked with indelible ink after casting his vote during the fifth round of multi-phase national elections outside a polling station in Ayodhya, India, Monday, May 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)

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A paramilitary soldier stands guard near Kashmiri villagers standing in a queue to vote outside a polling booth, during the fifth round of multi-phase national election in Rathson village, west of Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, Monday, May 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Dar Yasin)

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People queue up to vote outside a polling booth during the fifth round of multi-phase national election in Howrah, India, Monday, May 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Bikas Das)

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Indian actress Hema Malini casts her vote at a polling booth during the fifth round of multi-phase national elections in Mumbai, India, Monday, May 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)

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An Indian Hindu holy man who voted in the morning displays ink mark on his finger in front of the temple of Hindu god Ram during the fifth round of multi-phase national elections in Ayodhya, India, Monday, May 20, 2024. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s party, which has hailed the opening of the temple as the ruling government’s crowning achievement, is hoping it will help catapult the prime minister to a record third successive term. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)

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People queue up to vote outside a polling booth during the fifth round of multi-phase national election in Howrah, India, Monday, May 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Bikas Das)

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A Muslim woman displays the ink mark on her finger after casting vote at a polling station during the fifth round of multi-phase national elections in Mumbai, India, Monday, May 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Rajanish Kakade)

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A Ladakhi woman displays indelible ink mark on her finger after casting vote, during the fifth round of multi-phase national elections outside a polling station in Leh, India, Monday, May 20, 2024. The seven phase staggered election will run until June 1 before votes are counted on June 4. Almost 970 million voters will cast their ballots in this election, more than 10% of the world’s population. (AP Photo)

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Kashmiri villagers Nazir Ahmed Mir, left, and Shamim Ahmed Akhoon show ink marks on their finger after casting their vote outside a polling booth during the fifth round of multi-phase national election in Rathson village west of Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, Monday, May 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Dar Yasin)

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A man waits for his turn to cast his vote outside a polling booth to during the fifth round of multi-phase national elections Sumbal north of Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, Monday, May 20, 2024.(AP Photo/Mukhtar Khan)

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A woman carrying her daughter leaves after casting vote in a polling station during the fifth round of multi-phase national elections in Mumbai, India, Monday, May 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)

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An elderly voter makes his way kneeling under a security barricade set up by police as he arrives to cast his vote at a polling station during the fifth round of multi-phase national elections in Mumbai, India, Monday, May 20, 2024.(AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)

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An Indian soldier guards outside the polling booth during the fifth round of multi-phase national elections in Shadipora north of Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, Monday, May 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Mukhtar Khan)

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People stand in queue to cast their votes outside a polling booth during the fifth round of multi-phase national elections Sumbal north of Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, Monday, May 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Mukhtar Khan)

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A paramilitary soldier stands guard near Kashmiri villagers who are queuing up to vote outside a polling booth during the fifth round of multi-phase national election in Rathson village west of Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, Monday, May 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Dar Yasin)

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An elderly Kashmiri village woman queues up to vote outside a polling booth during the fifth round of multi-phase national election in Sephora village west of Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, Monday, May 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Dar Yasin)

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Indian actor Dharmendra walks after casting vote during the fifth round of multi-phase national elections in Mumbai, India, Monday, May 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)

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People queue up to vote outside a polling booth during the fifth round of multi-phase national election in Howrah, India, Monday, May 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Bikas Das)

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Security forces stand guard near Kashmiri villagers waiting to vote outside a polling booth during the fifth round of multi-phase national election in Beerwah, west of Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, Monday, May 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Dar Yasin)

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A man in saffron robes shows the indelible ink mark on his index finger after casting vote at a polling station during the fifth round of multi-phase national elections in Mumbai, India, Monday, May 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)

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People queue up to vote outside a polling booth during the fifth round of multi-phase national election in Howrah, India, Monday, May 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Bikas Das)

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Kashmiri village women queue up to vote outside a polling booth during the fifth round of multi-phase national election in Sephora village, west of Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, Monday, May 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Dar Yasin)

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An elderly man arrives in a wheelchair to cast his vote during the fifth round of multi-phase national elections outside a polling station in Ayodhya, India, Monday, May 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)

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A polling officer applies indelible ink mark on the finger of a voter during the fifth round of multi-phase national elections in Ayodhya, India, Monday, May 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)

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A paramilitary soldier stands guard near Kashmiri villagers who are queuing up to vote outside a polling booth during the fifth round of multi-phase national election in Rathson village, west of Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, Monday, May 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Dar Yasin)

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People display indelible ink mark on their fingers after casting their votes during the fifth phase of general election, in Ayodhya , India, Monday, May 20, 2024. The seven phase staggered election will run until June 1 before votes are counted on June 4. Almost 970 million voters will cast their ballots in this election, more than 10% of the world’s population. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)

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A Border Security Force soldier requests voters to stand in the queue outside a polling booth during the fifth round of multi-phase national election in Howrah, India, Monday, May 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Bikas Das)

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A woman displays indelible ink mark on her finger after casting her vote outside the polling booth during the fifth round of multi-phase national elections Sumbal, north of Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, Monday, May 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Mukhtar Khan)

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People queue up to vote next to a hand pump outside a polling booth during the fifth round of multi-phase national election in Howrah, India, Monday, May 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Bikas Das)

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A women displays indelible ink mark on her finger after casting her vote during the fifth phase of general election, in Ayodhya , India, Monday, May 20, 2024. The seven phase staggered election will run until June 1 before votes are counted on June 4. Almost 970 million voters will cast their ballots in this election, more than 10% of the world’s population. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)

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An elderly woman chats with a police officer as she waits for her turn to vote outside a polling station during the fifth round of multi-phase national elections in Mumbai, India, Monday, May 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)

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Women display their identity cards as they wait to cast their vote in a polling station during the fifth round of multi-phase national elections in Mumbai, India, Monday, May 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Rajanish Kakade)

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People stand in queue to cast their votes outside a polling booth during the fifth round of multi-phase national elections in Shadipora north of Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, Monday, May 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Mukhtar Khan)

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Voters wait outside a polling booth after the electronic voting machine (EVM) stopped working during the fifth round of multi-phase national election in Howrah, India, Monday, May 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Bikas Das)

By PIYUSH NAGPAL and BISWAJEET BANERJEE

AYODHYA, India (AP) — When Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi opened a Hindu temple on the site of a razed mosque in the holy city of Ayodhya in early 2024, he was making a bet on mixing Hindu nationalism and politics ahead of a national election in which he’s seeking a rare third term.

On Monday, that bet faced a test as the northern city swarmed with voters, many of them Hindu devotees, lining up in scorching heat as India began the fifth phase of its six-week-long staggered national election.

Modi’s Hindu nationalist politics have resonated with many supporters, and most polls show his Bharatiya Janata Party in the lead. But it’s not clear whether that fervor can carry him to victory as Indians face rising unemployment and inflation.

“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.

The staggered election will run until June 1 and nearly 970 million eligible voters, more than 10% of the world’s population, will elect 543 members to the lower house of Parliament for five years. The votes are scheduled to be counted on June 4.

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Monday’s polling, in constituencies across six states and two union territories, is crucial for the BJP, as it includes some of strongholds in states like Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.

Modi hopes to see high turnout in areas like Uttar Pradesh’s Ayodhya, where a controversial temple to the god Ram was built on the grounds of a centuries-old mosque razed by Hindu mobs in 1992. Its opening was seen as a political triumph for the populist leader, who is seeking to transform the country from a secular democracy into a Hindu state. It also fulfilled a longstanding demand of the majority Hindus.

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

Most poll surveys show Modi and his party leading in the race for the lower house of Parliament. However, it faces stiff resistance from the opposition, a broad opposition alliance led by the Indian National Congress and powerful regional parties, which has tapped into discontent over bread and butter issues.

In Ayodhya, where the temperature is expected to touch 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) on Monday, voters lined up early.

Sudha Pandey, a teacher, said she isn’t sure whether opening of the temple will benefit Modi’s party, but said the Hindu majority is extremely happy about it.

“Ram Temple is a matter of our faith. Our faith has been emboldened by it,” she said.

Shachindra Sharma, who also votes 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 towards progress?” Sharma said.

His wife, Renuka Sharma, disagreed, arguing that the temple remains a crucial deciding factor in polls.

“I will vote for the party that built the Ram Temple because Lord Ram is the biggest issue in this election,” she said.

Modi’s party has made the temple central to its campaign.

Uttar Pradesh’s Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, in an election rally last week, said the choice between “devotees of Ram” and “anti-Ram forces” is the defining theme of the national election, referring to the opposition parties.

“You should vote for devotees of Ram because they are the people who built Ram Temple for you,” he said.

Modi has sometimes falsely accused opposition parties of attempting to overturn the court’s verdict that allowed its construction. On Friday, he claimed that if the opposition comes to power it will raze the temple.

During election campaign, Modi has also increasingly used anti-Muslim rhetoric in his speeches. He has called Muslims “infiltrators,” insinuated that they produce more children and accused the opposition parties of planning to loot wealth from the country’s Hindus and redistribute it among Muslims.

Modi’s speeches have triggered widespread criticism from the opposition, prompting him to distance himself from his comments in a series of interviews with the press. In a recent interview with News18 TV channel he denied using divisive rhetoric, and said the day he did so “I will be unworthy of public office.” He has nonetheless gone on to repeat the same rhetoric in election speeches since.

Monday’s polling will also see opposition leader Rahul Gandhi, the scion of the Gandhi-Nehru dynasty, facing voters in the Rae Bareli constituency in Uttar Pradesh state.

Gandhi also ran for office in Wayanad in southern India, which has already voted. India allows candidates to contest multiple constituencies, but they can represent only one. If he wins both, he will choose one and the other will hold a new election.

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Banerjee reported from Lucknow, India.