Modi faces popularity test as his home state heads for polls
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Indian PM Narendra Modi is looking at a third term in office in national elections in 2024.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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NEW DELHI - Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s home state of Gujarat will head to the polls in December, a ballot that is likely to show strong support for the leader who is seeking a third term as premier in national elections due in less than two years.
Polling for Gujarat’s 182-member assembly will be held in two phases on Dec 1 and Dec 5. Votes will be counted on Dec 8, said Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar at a press conference in New Delhi on Thursday.
The announcement comes as the western Indian state is reeling from the shock of one of the country’s deadliest accidents
Earlier in the week, Mr Modi visited the site and ordered an extensive inquiry.
The northern state of Himachal Pradesh will also head to the ballot on Nov 12, with votes there also being counted on Dec 8, the commission announced in October.
The state elections come as India’s economy faces considerable global headwinds, as well as soaring inflation and unemployment.
The results will be crucial as Mr Modi looks at a third term in office in national elections in 2024.
A survey in Gujarat by the Lokniti-Centre for the Study of Developing Societies, published on Oct 31, had half the respondents citing price rises as the most important electoral issue. Another 15 per cent highlighted unemployment and 6 per cent pointed to poverty.
In Gujarat, the main opposition Congress party and regional Aam Aadmi Party are trying to unseat Mr Modi’s incumbent Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
The BJP is also in power in Himachal Pradesh. However, opinion polls show Mr Modi’s party is set to retain power in both states.
Gujarat is one of India’s wealthiest states, with industries like petrochemicals and pharmaceuticals. Mr Modi, who ruled the state for more than a decade, drove robust economic growth there before becoming prime minister in 2014.
Over the last three months, the Prime Minister has made frequent visits to both poll-bound states, inaugurating infrastructure projects and addressing public gatherings. BLOOMBERG
