By David Asta Alares
Kozhikode, India, Apr 24 (EFE).- From morning until the evening, the opposition Indian National Congress (INC) candidate for this constituency in the south led a hectic campaign on Wednesday, marking the final day of canvassing before the second phase of elections.
Over 1,000 aspirants are in the fray for Friday’s phase 2 of the long-drawn-out parliamentary elections.
“I will get a comfortable majority this election, this is my fourth term,” MK Raghavan told EFE in the morning, following a late-night strategy session with opposition party leaders clad in the customary pristine white attire, emblematic of politicians in Kerala, a stronghold of the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty.
On Wednesday, Kozhikode, the historic coastal city once known as Calicut where Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama landed in 1498, was in a whirlwind of campaigning, with lorries crisscrossing the streets blaring loud slogans and extolling the virtues of contestants.
The Communist Party of India-Marxist, equipped with a battery and a master of ceremonies, seamlessly blended political slogans with rhythmic dances to the beat of percussion instruments.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, aiming for a third consecutive term, has expressed confidence in his coalition, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), not only securing another electoral success but also aspiring to win 400 of the 543 parliamentary seats at stake.
However, to achieve this, he must bolster his presence in the south, where the federally ruling Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party has failed to make inroads amid formidable opposition.
In Kerala, the BJP failed to secure a single seat in the 2019 elections due to strong anti-Modi sentiment, particularly among Christians, who constitute 18 percent of the state’s 33 million inhabitants, with the majority being Hindus.
“We hate Modi here, especially the Christians. He has become an autocrat, and the common people don’t want him to win. He has been spreading hate, especially between the Hindu and Muslim communities,” historian Babukutty told EFE, his sentiments echoed by fellow teachers accompanying him.
In the electoral battleground of Kerala, the contest is primarily between the Congress party and the Left Democratic Front (LDF), a ruling alliance in the state led by the communists.
“(However), in the north, things are quite different,” Babukutty’s companion, John, said.
Although Kerala has the most seats at stake in the second phase of the general elections, which began on Apr.19 Friday with results expected on June 4, more than 1,200 candidates are vying to make it to the lower house of parliament in regions like Karnataka in the south and Rajasthan in the north.
It was in Rajasthan where Modi hardened the tone of the electoral campaign by targeting the marginalized Muslim minority of the country.
Modi’s polarizing strategy comes amid concerns over reduced voter turnout in the first phase of the voting.
“If BJP wins 35 seats in West Bengal, the state will be freed from intruders,” Interior Minister and Modi’s right-hand man, Amit Shah, said on Tuesday in the opposition-held eastern state.
“Intruders” or “infiltrators,” as Modi called Muslims in his Rajasthan rally, is seen as a political slur in India to refer to followers of Islam, who form around 14 percent of the population of the predominantly Hindu nation.
Despite resistance in southern India against the BJP’s Hindu nationalist agenda, projections indicate Modi’s victory in the general elections.
The opposition coalition, named ‘INDIA’ and spearheaded by the Congress party, contends that India’s democracy is in peril due to Modi’s authoritarianism. EFE
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