VARANASI, India, June 1, 2024 (BSS/AFP) - Indian Prime Minister NarendraModi said on Saturday he was confident of his return to power after votingended in the country's six-week election, a marathon contest bedevilled bysuccessive punishing heatwaves. Modi himself was certain that he had, saying he was confident that "thepeople of India have voted in record numbers" to re-elect his government. - 'Politics of temples' -Modi presided over the inauguration this year of a grand temple to thedeity Ram, built on the grounds of a centuries-old mosque in Ayodhya razed byHindu zealots in 1992. - 'Stay hydrated' -India voted in seven phases over six weeks to ease the immense logisticalburden of staging an election in the world's most populous country. Turnout is down several percentage points from the last national electionin 2019, with analysts blaming widespread expectations of a Modi victory aswell as successive heatwaves scorching India's northern states.

Source: Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha June 01, 2024 18:45 UTC