Popularity of Modi's party on the line in elections

GHAZIABAD, India－Polls opened on Thursday in India's most populous state in a test of the appeal of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Hindu nationalist agenda in the face of trenchant unemployment, rising inflation, and the coronavirus pandemic.

Uttar Pradesh has struggled through India's economic downturn, and Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party, or BJP, is keen to prove that it still holds sway in the bellwether state home to more than 230 million people.

A big win in the northern Hindi-speaking heartland will give the BJP a boost ahead of national elections in 2024 when it seeks a third straight victory under Modi.

Over 150 million people are expected to vote in Uttar Pradesh across seven phases starting on Thursday before results are declared in March. Four other states will also vote in February and March－the BJP is fighting to retain power in all but one.

Opinion polls have indicated that the BJP will retain power in the 403-member Uttar Pradesh assembly－something no party has done since 1985－with an increased vote share.

The battleground region has a larger population than Brazil and sends more lawmakers to parliament than any other state in national elections, accounting for 80 of the 543 seats in the lower house.

The BJP in Uttar Pradesh is led by incumbent Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, whose charisma and sharp tongue have won him fans and critics alike.

Adityanath, 49, a firebrand Hindu monk, has been accused of stoking religious divisions to woo Hindu voters, who make up 80 percent of the state electorate.

The saffron-robed ascetic has been outspoken in his Hindu nationalist rhetoric during campaigning for the staggered seven-phase polls, riling the state's minority Muslim population.

The polls are also a referendum on Adityanath, who is seen as a poster figure for the Hindu right-wing. Some analysts believe he is vying to be the next prime minister.

The BJP's main rival is the social democratic Samajwadi Party led by Akhilesh Yadav, who has been seeking to tap into discontent over job losses and rising prices since the first wave of the pandemic hit the country in 2020.

Keen to make up for lost ground, the BJP has promised a job for at least one member of each family and free electricity for farmers－a key voting bloc－if it retains power.

The BJP's answer also contains infrastructure, including mammoth expressways and airports to boost connectivity and tourism.

Agencies via Xinhua