Voters headed to the polls Monday in the climax of India's marathon election, with frontrunner Narendra Modi seeking a crowning victory in the holy city of Varanasi for his right-wing Bharatiya Janata Party.
Modi was standing as a candidate in the famed pilgrimage site on the banks of the Ganges in the final phase of the world's biggest election, which has been marred by religious divisions and a vitriolic campaign.
The 63-year-old, expected to become prime minister if the Hindu nationalist BJP and its allies secure a majority when results are announced on Friday, urged residents to turn out in record numbers.
Anti-corruption champion Arvind Kejriwal from the new Aam Aadmi (Common Man) Party is also competing from Varanasi and hoping to upset Modi, who has spent little time in the city as he campaigned across the country, according to AFP.
© 2026 - All Rights with The Financial Express
