As millions of Indians cast their votes in the final stages of the world’s biggest and longest running election, Prime Minister Narendra Modi meditated at a shrine on the island.
According to local media, the 73-year-old man remained in silence for 45 hours at the Vivekananda Rock Memorial in the southernmost point of India, consuming only beverages such as coconut water and grape juice.
Once the voting ended, the Prime Minister’s meditation also ended.
There is good reason for Modi to adopt such a calm and neutral stance, with exit polls showing him easily winning the election. A historic third term victory.
He had already claimed victory on social media before the vote counting had even begun.
“I can say with confidence that the people of India voted in record numbers to re-elect our President. [National Democratic Alliance] “Blame the government,” he wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.
It was a glimpse into the prime minister’s confidence and ambition.
Public displays of faith have become a feature of his campaigns; he has twice meditated at the end of the polls.
“Some may call me crazy, but I [God] “I was sent with a purpose and once that purpose is achieved my job is done,” he told local news channel NDTV in an interview last month.
“[God] “He doesn’t reveal his cards, he just keeps making me do stuff,” he said.
How India came together to get its more than 642 million voters to cast their ballot, and what to expect when the results are in.
Will Modi be able to get that magic number in Congress?
Exit polls released by Indian media outlets on Saturday night showed Modi and his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) were likely to win an unprecedented third term with an overwhelming majority of the vote.
Most opinion polls predict that the BJP and its ally, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), can win a two-thirds majority in the 543-seat lower house of parliament, needing just 272 seats for a simple majority.
Reaching this threshold would allow the government to make far-reaching amendments to the constitution.
The poll predicts that the NDA could win between 353 and 401 seats, while the main opposition Indian Union, led by the Indian National Congress party, is expected to win between 125 and 182 seats.
The coalition is a gathering of more than 20 parties that oppose Prime Minister Modi’s divisive politics and uneven management of India’s economic growth.
But it’s important to remember that exit polls have a shaky history in India and often get the results wrong.
Indian National Congress Party leader Mallikarjun Kharge insisted the coalition would form the government with a majority.
Addressing a press conference, Kharge said the prime minister had made the election campaign for himself.
“In 15 days, he used the Congress’ name 232 times and Modi’s name 758 times,” he said.
“He named the Indian Union 573 times…he said nothing about unemployment and inflation.”
Heatwaves, deepfakes, and arrests
Voting in seven phases began on April 19 and ended on June 1. Voting took place amid sweltering heat with temperatures exceeding 50 degrees Celsius in some parts of the country, including New Delhi.
Dozens of poll workers have died from heatstroke and other health problems caused by the extreme heat in recent days.
At least 33 workers died in Uttar Pradesh in a single day.
India’s Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar announced on June 3 that a record 642 million voters had cast ballots in a general election, reaching a turnout of about 66%.
But he acknowledged that voting should have ended in April to avoid extreme heat and called the vote a “learning experience.”
India is accustomed to scorching heat in the summer, but scientific studies over the years have shown that climate change is making heat waves longer, more frequent and worse.
The election was a highly contested one, with 15 million polling officials and security personnel, 1 million polling stations, over 8,000 candidates, and 744 political parties participating.
Voting machines were transported by foot, helicopter, boat and camel to the country’s most remote areas to ensure no voter was left behind.
Despite these efforts, there have been allegations of voter suppression and intimidation of opposition candidates in parts of India, including Uttar Pradesh and Modi’s home state of Gujarat.
Opposition leaders have accused the BJP government of using government agencies to intimidate and arrest opponents and deny them access to election funds.
On June 2, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, one of the most prominent opposition leaders, was returned to prison after being briefly released to campaign.
He claims the corruption cases against him are politically motivated, aimed at undermining his party.
The BJP has denied the allegations.
AI-generated deepfakes were also used for the first time during the election, with the electoral commission struggling to track them.
Race to the end
Modi initially focused his campaign on his economic achievements and his efforts to revive Hinduism.
But he was quick to target the main opposition Indian National Congress party, accusing it of favouring India’s Muslim minority – a charge it denies.
Opposition parties campaigned on welfare programs for vulnerable communities and protecting India’s democratic values, which they say have retreated under Modi, a charge he denies.
The main issues for voters were unemployment and the rising cost of living.
The counting process will begin at 12:30pm AEST on June 4, with results expected to be in the mail the same day.
