NEW DELHI: Today marks the final vote in the seven-phase elections, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to emerge from his two-day deep meditation in time to see the evening exit polls, which the opposition claims will falsely indicate his triumph.
The prime minister’s intensely guarded retreat on India’s southernmost tip comes after a barrage of profanities directed at his rivals during electoral speeches in Punjab and Bihar.
Mr. Modi would have to wait for those many days for an official endorsement or, not surprisingly, a rejection of his claim to victory. The exit surveys are anticipated to be conducted following the sealing of the final voting machine in preparation for the June 4 vote counting.
Both Mr. Modi and his ministers have expressed confidence in a landslide victory that they believe will surpass even Rajiv Gandhi’s 400+ seats. However, opposition parties and reputable pollsters believe the BJP, which received 303 seats in the most recent polls, will likely lose a significant number of seats as a result of this outcome.
Indians will vote in the last phase today for 57 seats.
The states that have become a battleground for Mr. Modi include Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and West Bengal. According to reports from reputable betting markets, the BJP would easily win 330 seats on its own. This majority is consistent with the predictions made repeatedly by TV stations prior to the polls.
The widely reported meditation sparked a large security drill with speedboats and drones, and tourists were completely prohibited from visiting the famous rock by the sea in Kanyakumari. In 1893, renowned Hindu seer and religious revivalist Swami Vivekanand sat in silence there. The 31st of May saw him depart for Chicago.
Given that the PM possesses nuclear command, concerns have been raised throughout the meditation over national security. Manmohan Singh, the previous prime minister, assigned his defense minister to take over for him after he needed general anesthesia for surgery. This doesn’t appear to be the case.
Of the 543 Lok Sabha seats, 57 are up for grabs in the final round. In order to establish the post-election arrangements for an open vote-counting process, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge has convened a conference of alliance leaders for this Saturday. According to knowledgeable sources, should the coalition fail, they might also talk about the potential threat of horse-trading from the wealthy ruling party.
There’s no denying the noise and fury of the election on either side. The TV networks portray Mr. Modi as the overwhelming winner. Numerous YouTube channels report that the BJP has suffered a net loss.
Akhilesh Yadav, the head of the Samajwadi Party, urged his delegates and candidates to exercise caution. Mr. Yadav stated in an appeal on X, “Until the vote counting is over and you are given the certificate of victory, all of you should be completely attentive, watchful, and cautious during the voting on Saturday and also in the days following the voting. Avoid being duped by the BJP.
Thirteen Lok Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh will hold polling in the final round of the Lok Sabha elections.
Priyanka Gandhi and other prominent figures have also made fun of Mr. Modi for his assertion that the Congress will take one buffalo out of two and a Hindu woman’s mangalsutra and give them to Muslims. Without providing further details, he referred to the Congress manifesto as a Muslim League document.
During his final campaign rally in Punjab’s Hoshiarpur, where the final phase will determine all 13 seats, Mr. Modi threatened to expose the opposition leaders if they continued to attack him. He exclaimed, “Don’t mess with Modi,” just hours before taking off for Kanyakumari.
Previously, in Bihar, he made a clear threat to imprison Tejashvi Yadav, a 24-year-old challenger who has been drawing sizable audiences without bothering his father Lalu Yadav to campaign in the intense heat. Despite Mr. Modi’s denials, lawyers claimed it was a clear indication that he was in charge of the federal agencies.
