BARPETA/THIRUVANANTHPURAM, India ¨C As India votes in a six-week general election, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi¡¯s image adorns everything from packs of rice handed out to the poor to large posters in cities and towns.
His Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is relying on the prime minister¡¯s popularity as it seeks a super-majority in India¡¯s parliament. Its message: Modi has delivered economic growth, infrastructure upgrades and India¡¯s improved standing in the world.
But as the Hindu nationalist party and its allies target 400 of the 543 seats in India¡¯s lower house of parliament ¡ª up from the 352 won in 2019 ¡ª they are also employing local tactics in some vital constituencies they hope to wrest from the opposition.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.