AYODHYA/VARANASI, India: A seminal moment in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's unsuccessful campaign to retain his parliamentary majority occurred days before India's marathon election began in April.
A Sadhu or a Hindu holy man shows his ink-marked finger after voting, outside a polling station during the fifth phase of India's general election, in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh, India, on May 20, 2024. AYODHYA/VARANASI, India: A seminal moment in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's unsuccessful campaign to retain his parliamentary majority occurred days before India's marathon election began in April.
Opinion polls had pointed to a landslide in Ayodhya's home state of Uttar Pradesh and nationally but when results came through on Jun 4, the BJP had lost 29 seats in the state - nearly half of all the party's losses nationwide. After a decade of electoral near-invincibility that combined economic success with a narrative of Hindu supremacy, Modi's party was reduced to 240 seats nationwide. He was able to form a third government only with the help of allies, some of whom have a reputation for political fickleness.In January, Modi inaugurated a grand temple there to the deity Lord Ram in a ceremony that sparked national euphoria.
‘No longer will parliament be muzzled and stifled’: India’s opposition could hurt PM Modi’s ambitions Sandeep Shastri, coordinator of a program on Indian elections at CSDS said the number of people voting primarily on Hindu ideology appeared to have plateaued in 2019. "The BJP heavily relied on the prime minister's leadership to ... win votes and also maybe to camouflage problems that people are facing," said researcher Shastri.Young voters like Dharmendra had backed BJP in a landslide in 2014, when Modi promised to create 20 million jobs a year nationwide. The pledge has not been fulfilled.
A motorist drives past a defaced Bharatiya Janata Party graffiti in an alley, a day after India's general election results, in Ayodhya, in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, India, on Jun 5, 2024. The redevelopment of Ayodhya into a temple town was preceded by the demolition of thousands of homes and stores. Nearly two dozen locals, including BJP supporters, told Reuters they were dissatisfied with the compensation offered.
District magistrate Nitish Kumar said in response to Reuters questions that the compensation process was fair.
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