PM Modi to vote as India’s marathon election heats up

Modi has also accused Congress, the main party in a disparate opposition alliance competing against him, of planning to reallocate the nation’s wealth to Muslim households.

“This is the first time in a long time that he is so direct,” said Hartosh Singh Bal, executive editor at news magazine The Caravan.

“I haven’t seen him be this directly bigoted, usually he alludes to bigotry,” he added.

“The comments on wealth redistribution are targeting something from the Congress manifesto that just does not exist and that is frankly quite unfortunate.”

Modi was scheduled to cast his ballot in the city of Ahmedabad in his home state of Gujarat, during the third round of voting, which India conducts in phases.

He remains widely popular a decade since coming to power, in large part due to his government positioning of the nation’s majority faith at the center of its politics, despite India’s officially secular constitution.

In January, the prime minister presided over the inauguration of a grand temple to the deity Ram, built on the site of a centuries-old mosque razed by Hindu zealots decades earlier.

Construction of the temple fulfilled a long-standing demand of Hindu activists and was widely celebrated across India, with extensive television coverage and street parties.

Modi’s brand of Hindu-nationalist politics has in turn made India’s 220-million-plus Muslim population increasingly anxious about their future in the country.

The election commission has not sanctioned Modi for his remarks despite its code of conduct prohibiting campaigning on “communal feelings” such as religion.