Six weeks of elections in India: India’s future is up for grabs
Six weeks of elections in India are six weeks long, considered one of the longest in the world, and with an extensive, and apparently democratic, process.
India’s polling stations opened on Friday, April 26, for the second phase of the general elections.
The elections in India last six weeks, with 1 billion voters exercising their right to vote.
This would be the electoral process with the highest participation in the planet.
The voting centers of this phase in India, to which almost 160 million people are called, cover constituencies in 13 of the 28 states of India, which will vote between 7:00 and 18:00 local time (between 1:30 and 12:30 GMT), indicated the Election Commission of India (ECI, for its acronym in English).
In the elections that will conclude in early June, the fate of opposition leader Rahul Gandhi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s main rival for a third term in office, is being disputed.
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The Indian elections last six weeks and according to the polls, Modi could win in the second round.
According to polls, Modi could win in the second round of polls, held in phases to ease the immense logistical burden of organizing an election in the world’s most populous country.
Six weeks of elections in India
Millions of people will line up outside polling stations in heat-stricken parts of the country, with temperatures in excess of 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit).
Earlier this week, the Indian election commission reported that it had set up a task force to analyze the impact of heat waves and humidity before each round of voting.
The Indian Meteorological Office that the heat wave would continue in several states over the weekend.
That includes parts of the eastern state of Bihar, where five districts will vote on Friday and where temperatures this week were more than 5.1 degrees Celsius above the seasonal average.
India’s elections last exactly six weeks, with around 968 million people eligible to vote.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Indian People’s Party (BJP) are seeking to retain control against the Indian National Congress and other opposition forces.
The outcome could hinge on support in southern states, where the opposition had an advantage in 2019.
General elections began on April 19 and will run until June 1.
The Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, has governed since 2014 and is the clear favorite to remain in office. His victory will deepen the Hindu nationalism promoted by the Indian People’s Party, the repression of the Muslim community and the geopolitical projection of the country.
The voting process will run for six weeks until June 1 and will serve to elect the 543 members of the Lok Sabha, the lower house of the Indian Parliament.
On its composition will depend the election of the new Prime Minister. The coalition led by the current Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, is ahead in the polls to remain in government.
India is a parliamentary republic, according to the constitution, the president is the head of state and the executive branch.
The current president is Draupadi Murmu. However, the task of governing rests with the Council of Ministers, headed by the prime minister.
Modi has held the office since 2014. The president appoints the prime minister based on election results.
Modi was elected by being a member of one of the houses of Parliament and belonging to the party or coalition that won the most support in the Lok Sabha.
His term of office lasts five years, but may end earlier if he loses the confidence of this chamber.
