In India, Narendra Modi’s BJP is showing its confidence in the run-up to the elections which will be held from April 19 to June 1. Many polls predict a large majority for Hindu nationalists in Parliament. But other studies predict a closer match, with voters very worried about unemployment.
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With our correspondent in Bangalore, Como Bastin
“ I am not working for 2029, but for 2047 », declares Narendra Modi, presenting the election as a formality and looking ahead to India’s 100th anniversary. The BJP has made it its slogan: it will obtain at least 400 of the 545 seats in Parliament on June 4, the day of the expected result for these elections.
It is true that television polls predict his victory, particularly in the northern states, the most populous. Like Uttar Pradesh, where the BJP could raid the 80 seats at stake, leaving no chance for the opposition which leads in the fewer seats in the South.
However, the match is not a foregone conclusion, the daily newspaper predicts this Saturday, April 13 The Hindu, in partnership with a research center. After surveying 10,000 Indians, he concluded that the opposition can resist in important states like Maharashtra, where it can elect 39 MPs and move closer to a majority.
Beyond the projections, which are subject to caution, the study underlines that unemployment and inflation concern half of the voters, far ahead of the religious questions which have made the BJP successful. The inauguration of the Ram temple, with great fanfare, on January 22, is only mentioned by 8% of respondents. Narendra Modi remains India’s favorite candidate to be the next prime minister, even if the gap with his potential rival, Rahul Gandhi, is narrowing.
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