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News > India

Voters Angry Over Joblessness As Modi Set to Win 2nd Term

  • The Electoral Commission's figures favor the right-wing National Democratic Alliance coalition led by Prime Minister Modi.

    The Electoral Commission's figures favor the right-wing National Democratic Alliance coalition led by Prime Minister Modi. | Photo: Reuters file

Published 23 May 2019
Opinion

“The difference between Modi and Congress is, as they say in English, 'divide and rule.’ That is what the BJP has done and I don’t agree with it. This is why I voted Congress and always will."

Though all seats remain undeclared, according to numbers posted by India's Electoral Commission, Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi - who heads the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) - will retain a sweeping majority amid growing concerns about the high instances of unemployment among the youth of the country.

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There were polar-opposite reactions, by voters outside multiple polling stations, to the Electoral Commission's trending figures, which favors a right-wing National Democratic Alliance coalition majority that will be led by Prime Minister Modi. The Commission showed the PM's party leading in hundreds of constituencies, while the opposition was in front in fewer than 100. 

Local businessmen Gaurav Sharma and Amit Goel are two such individuals who expressed despondence after casting their vote. "Modi has not kept his promises made over the last five years," Sharma said and added that he voted for Congress, which is led by Rahul Gandhi.

While Goel added that Modi had "promised thousands of jobs" and has not delivered. "Where are they? What jobs? The young people in our country have no jobs."

However, hundreds of millions of voters went to the polls - over a five-week period - in the election which pushed the seemingly embattled incumbent pass the 272 votes required to give the BJP the unassailable lead and a projected victory. 

Election authorities reportedly stated that the number of voters who participated in the polls has increased significantly from about 550 million, in the last election, to 900 million - more than the over 800 million eligible 2014 voters.

“The difference between Modi and Congress is, as they say in English, 'divide and rule.’ That is what the BJP has done and I don’t agree with it. This is why I voted Congress and always will. Right now I am optimistic,” an opposition Congress party supporter bemoaned.

But, one celebrating Modi supporter countered saying, “watch how India will progress in the next five years. This is just the beginning" and added that "the BJP is here to stay. Congress is done and dusted for good. They are the party of corrupts. Modi will jail all the corrupt Congress politicians in the next five years.”

In 2014, the Modi-led party won the general election with 282 Lok Sabha seats, becoming the first party in three decades to do so by such a majority. The coalition took 336 seats overall.

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