.In the penultimate round of India’s national election, millions of citizens have cast their votes, with a unified opposition striving to prevent Prime Minister Narendra Modi from securing a third consecutive term. Voters began lining up at polling stations as early as 7am (01:30 GMT) to beat the extreme heat later in the day, with temperatures in New Delhi soaring to 43 degrees Celsius (109.4 degrees Fahrenheit). Despite the blistering conditions and a heatwave “red alert” issued by the weather bureau, tens of millions of people participated in this crucial voting phase.
Lakshmi Bansal, a housewife, likened the election to a festival, saying that people are accustomed to going out for shopping and attending festivals in such heat, so voting was no different.
This election involves nearly 970 million eligible voters, representing more than 10 percent of the world’s population, who are tasked with electing 543 members to the lower house of parliament for the next five years.
