India Holds Final Round of Landmark National Election

Indians have begun voting in the last round of India’s marathon 6-week general election, a critical referendum on Hindu nationalist Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s decade in power.

This 7th and final round of voting across 57 constituencies will complete the election for all 543 seats in parliament.

Nearly 970 million eligible voters – over 10% of the world’s population – chose a new parliament in this consequential election.

Most polls show Modi’s right-wing BJP party leading the opposition alliance. Vote counting will take place on Tuesday, June 4, with results expected by the end of the day.

Scorching summer temperatures and heatwaves have compounded voter fatigue, with nearly two dozen election officials reported dead from suspected heatstroke ahead of the final vote.