Modi and the ruling BJP have doubled down heavily on their Hindu nationalist platform, with the incumbent prime minister employing some of his most divisive rhetoric in his decade in power.
Modi, in numerous speeches in recent weeks, has said women’s wealth could be at risk if the opposition Congress comes to power, claiming the party would snatch away their “mangalsutra” – a sacred gold chain that indicates a Hindu woman’s marital status – and give it to its voters, a veiled reference to Muslims.
“The mask has dropped, and I think it is political compulsions that have made them do this,” said Ali Khan Mahmudabad, a political science professor at New Delhi’s Ashoka University, according to the Associated Press.
Changes in the BJP’s campaign may also be a sign of anxiety about low voter turnout that it had not anticipated, Mahmudabad said. Voter turnout in the first two phases has been slightly lower than the same rounds in the last election in 2019, according to official data.
“In recent elections, the BJP’s wins have been associated with getting the voters out [to vote],” Mahmudabad said. “There may be some fatigue, anti-incumbency or even disenchantment,” which has led the BJP to escalate their rhetoric.
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