VARANASI, India, June 1, 2024 (BSS/AFP) - India's six-week election reaches its final day of voting Saturday, including in the holy city Prime Minister Narendra Modi has used as a staging post for his Hindu nationalist agenda. Modi is widely expected to win a third term in office after results are announced Tuesday, in large part due to the cultivation of his image as an aggressive champion of India's majority faith. It is one of the final cities to vote in India's gruelling election and where public support for Modi's ever-closer alignment of religion and politics burns brightest. Analysts have long expected Modi to triumph against the opposition alliance, which at no point has named an agreed candidate for prime minister. Temperatures in Varanasi were expected to peak at 44 degrees Celsius (111 degrees Fahrenheit) during Saturday's voting.

Source: Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha June 01, 2024 15:14 UTC