Indian election: Prime Minister Modi's BJP seeks U.S. supporters head of vote
India's election will last six weeks after a campaign that has sprawled across India — and into the U.S., as well.
This week the world’s biggest democratic election kicks off in India, as almost 970 million voters decide whether to give Prime Minister Narendra Modi a third term. The election will last six weeks after a campaign that has sprawled across India — and into the United States as well.
Modi’s supporters credit him with putting India on the global stage and turning it into one of the fastest-growing economies in the world. His critics, however, say Modi has fanned a wave of Hindu nationalism, cracked down on opponents, stifled press freedom and stoked religious tensions with Muslims and other minority groups.
In the weeks leading up to the election, which begins Friday, the overseas arm of Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has enlisted members of the Indian diaspora in the U.S. to campaign on his behalf, either by phone calling friends and family in India or by traveling to India themselves.
Many of the attendees at the event wore scarves of saffron, a color associated with the Hindu nationalist movement.Nathan Howard / ReutersMore than 60 Modi supporters turned up to an event at the Potomac Community Center in Maryland last month, many of them wearing scarves of saffron, a color associated with Hindu nationalism.
At the event, leaders of the Overseas Friends of BJP listed what they saw as Modi’s achievements since taking office in 2014: developments in infrastructure, pharmaceuticals, technology and education and, more recently, the inauguration of a grand Hindu temple on a contested holy site.
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