India is currently tallying over 642 million ballots. It is widely anticipated that in the world’s largest democratic vote, current Prime Minister Narendra Modi will secure a historic third term after ruling for 10 years.
This year, nearly 970 million people in India are eligible to vote, which accounts for over 10% of the world’s population and surpasses the combined populations of the 27 EU countries.
The Indian general election is divided into seven phases. According to official data, the average voter turnout is around 66%. Currently, counting centers in all 543 constituencies across India are tallying the votes, with the counting process likely to continue into the evening of June 4th. The final results will be announced by the Indian Election Commission at that time.
This Indian election has seen tragedies in many regions due to extreme heat. Consecutive days of temperatures exceeding 40°C have not only taken a toll on voters but have also led to the loss of lives of numerous election workers.
In Uttar Pradesh, reports emerged of a heartbreaking tragedy where 33 election workers succumbed to the heat in a single day.
Chief Election Commissioner of India Rajiv Kumar stated that election officials have learned a lesson.
“We should have completed the elections at least a month earlier,” he said at the start of the counting, “We should not have let the elections continue in such hot weather.”
On Tuesday, the temperature in India’s capital dropped slightly from last week’s peak of 45°C (113°F), but election officials and political parties still took preventive measures during the counting.
Early in the morning, workers brought boxes of water into an air-conditioned counting center in New Delhi, while tents set up outside for security personnel were equipped with industrial evaporative coolers.
This morning, the temperature in New Delhi hovered around 37°C (99°F), with expectations that it would rise to 41°C (106°F) later in the day.
Tents with evaporative coolers were also set up outside the headquarters of the opposition party Congress, for the use of waiting members of the media.
According to preliminary counting results, while the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) alliance led by Prime Minister Modi is significantly ahead, they are unlikely to secure the overwhelming majority predicted by exit polls. This led to the largest drop in the Indian stock market in four years on Tuesday.
After about three hours of counting, the BJP has secured leads in 239 constituencies out of 542 parliamentary seats, with a sizable margin confirmed in one seat.
The main opposition party Congress is leading in 96 constituencies.
Modi’s re-election campaign is partly based on promises of sustained economic development. He has stated that India serves as an alternative option for global businesses shifting away from China and diversifying their supply chains. Prior to the election, Modi expressed hopes of winning a decisive 400 seats in order to overcome opposition forces and implement bold reforms.
Officials informed Reuters that Modi had plans to undertake a series of reforms and implement measures favorable to businesses after securing a third term, aiming to make India a global manufacturing hub.
However, if the BJP alliance does not achieve a sufficient margin, it may impact Modi’s plans for boosting domestic manufacturing.
State-owned enterprises have been hit the hardest, with the Nifty PSE index falling by 17.39% and the Nifty PSU index, which tracks public sector banks, dropping by 16.63% as of the time of reporting.