Millions of people in India are braving a continuing heatwave to bring the world’s largest election to a close. As the seventh and final round of voting took place on Saturday, at least 30 people nationwide have reportedly died from the high temperatures, including 10 election officials.
According to Reuters, parts of India have been experiencing extreme heat in recent days. On Friday, at least 33 people in the northern states of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, as well as the eastern state of Odisha, are suspected to have died from heatstroke, including election officials on duty.
Temperatures in some regions of the country have soared to 49.9 degrees Celsius (122 degrees Fahrenheit) this week. The Bihar state government announced on Friday that 14 people have died due to the heatwave, including 10 election officials.
The week-long heatwave has forced schools to close in many places, increasing the risk of heatstroke for outdoor voting.
On Saturday, Indians braved the sweltering heat to participate in the seventh and final phase of voting, with Prime Minister Modi seeking a third term in this election.
More than 100 million people were registered to vote in the seventh phase, which covered 57 seats in 8 states and union territories, including Modi’s constituency of Varanasi, a holy city for Hindus.
As voting began in the states of Punjab in the north, as well as Bihar, West Bengal, and Odisha in the east, Modi urged voters to “participate more in voting.”
“Let us work together to make our democracy more vibrant and participative.”
His Hindu nationalist party, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), is in competition with an opposition alliance led by Rahul Gandhi of the Congress party. With over a billion registered voters, this election is expected to be the largest in the world, and it is widely anticipated that the BJP will maintain a majority.
However, the BJP has faced a strong challenge from the opposition “India” alliance, leading to uncertainty about the election results.
Exit polls are expected to be released after the polls close at 6 p.m., but these polls are not always reliable and may show significant discrepancies at times.
Vote counting is set to take place on June 4.
Before the monsoon rains bring cooler temperatures, the scorching heat of April, May, and June in most parts of India has left many struggling to cope.