Millions Vote in India's Third Lok Sabha Election Phase: Key Battles and Turnout Rates

Ahmedabad, Gujarat India
Key battles were taking place between Sharad Pawar and Ajit Pawar in Baramati, Maharashtra.
Millions voted in 93 constituencies across ten states and a Union Territory.
Next phase of elections is set to take place on May 13.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi voted in Gujarat alongside Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya, and Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel.
Third phase of India's Lok Sabha elections took place on May 7, 2024.
Turnout for this phase was recorded at 64.4%.
Millions Vote in India's Third Lok Sabha Election Phase: Key Battles and Turnout Rates

The third phase of India's Lok Sabha elections took place on May 7, 2024, with millions of voters casting their ballots in 93 constituencies across ten states and a Union Territory. The election is being held in seven phases to decide the fate of all 543 seats in the lower house of India's parliament. In this phase, key battles were taking place between Sharad Pawar and Ajit Pawar in Baramati, Maharashtra, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi voted in his home state Gujarat. The turnout for this phase was recorded at 64.4%, according to the Election Commission.

Prime Minister Modi had initially focused on economic progress during his campaign but has recently doubled down on his Hindu nationalism platform, which has raised concerns among minority communities such as Muslims. In a rally in Karnataka, he accused the Indian National Congress party of scheming to 'loot' wealth from Hindus and redistribute it among Muslims.

In Gujarat, Modi voted at a polling booth in Ahmedabad alongside Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya, and Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had won 72 out of the 92 seats that went to polls in Phase 3 in previous elections.

Key battles were taking place in Maharashtra, where Sharad Pawar and Ajit Pawar were vying for the Baramati seat. The election results for this phase are expected on May 13, with counting of votes scheduled for June 4.

The next phase of elections is set to take place on May 13, covering seats in Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, and other states.



Confidence

90%

Doubts
  • Are there any concerns about foreign interference in the elections?
  • Were there any reports of voter intimidation or irregularities during the voting process?
  • What percentage of eligible voters actually turned out to vote in this phase?

Sources

78%

  • Unique Points
    • Modi changed his campaign strategy and focused more on Hindu nationalism.
    • Muslim community is increasingly anxious about their future in India due to Modi’s statements.
  • Accuracy
    • Prime Minister Narendra Modi is escalating his rhetoric against Muslims in his election campaign.
    • Modi called Muslims 'infiltrators' and accused them of having too many children during recent campaign rallies.
    • The BJP faces tougher contests this time as the main opposition Congress party has gained strength in Karnataka and a regional partner has split in Maharashtra.
  • Deception (30%)
    The author makes editorializing statements by using the term 'rare, third straight term' to describe Modi's bid for re-election and referring to the opposition as 'alliance of more than two dozen opposition parties, led by the Indian National Congress'. The author also reports selectively on Modi's statements towards Muslims without providing context or disclosing that these statements have prompted condemnation from opposition politicians. Additionally, the author uses sensational language in describing temperatures reaching 'searing temperatures' and a 'significant dip' in voter turnout.
    • He urged citizens to actively participate in the ‘festival of democracy’, while taking care of their health as summer temperatures continued to rise in many parts of the country.
    • Modi cast his ballot in home state of Gujarat’s Gandhinagar constituency where his number two, Home Minister Amit Shah, is the BJP candidate.
    • People queue to vote at a polling station in Sambhal district of Uttar Pradesh [Anushree Fadnavis/Reuters]
    • That completed voting for 283 of 543 seats for the Lok Sabha, as the lower house of Indian parliament is called.
    • The world’s most populous nation began voting on April 19 in a seven-phase election in which nearly one billion people are eligible to vote, with ballots set to be counted on June 4.
    • India’s election will be conducted over six weeks to ease the immense logistical burden of staging the democratic exercise in a vast nation.
    • Journalist Sravasti Dasgupta told Al Jazeera the voter turnout in the continuing election has seen a ‘significant dip’ compared with 2019.
  • Fallacies (85%)
    The author makes an appeal to authority when quoting Modi's statements about not being against Islam or Muslims. However, the author also provides context and quotes from opposition politicians and experts, which counters the potential fallacy. The article also includes inflammatory rhetoric from Modi regarding Muslims, but it does not provide enough evidence to determine if this is a formal fallacy or just an opinionated statement. Therefore, the score is 85.
    • ]The statements have also prompted condemnation from opposition politicians[
    • Modi changed his campaign strategy and focused more on firing up BJP’s Hindu base by attacking rivals as pro-Muslim
    • He referred to Muslims as ‘infiltrators’ and ‘those who have more children'
  • Bias (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Author Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication

93%

  • Unique Points
    • Modi cast his ballot in the Gandhinagar constituency where his number two, Home Minister Amit Shah, is the BJP candidate.
    • Modi had initially focused on economic progress during his campaign but has recently doubled down on Hindu nationalism platform.
  • Accuracy
    • Prime Minister Narendra Modi is seeking a rare, third straight term in the vote which pits his Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) against an alliance of more than two dozen opposition parties.
    • Modi urged citizens to participate in the ‘festival of democracy’.
    • Modi called Muslims ‘infiltrators’ and accused them of having too many children during recent campaign rallies.
    • The third round of multi-phase national elections has crucial seats up for grabs in states including Karnataka, Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh.
  • Deception (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Fallacies (90%)
    The article contains some instances of inflammatory rhetoric and an appeal to authority, but no explicit logical fallacies were found. The author reports on the statements made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi without endorsing or refuting them. Modi's statements include accusations against opposition parties and appeals to his popularity and economic record.
    • ]The prime minister was President Joe Biden’s guest at a June 2023 state dinner.[
    • Modi cast his ballot in the Gandhinagar constituency where his number two, Home Minister Amit Shah, is the BJP candidate.
    • Modi's critics accuse him and his party of targeting minority Muslims for electoral gains.
    • The Election Commission has since stepped up a campaign to encourage people to vote while consulting with weather officials and health and disaster management agencies to deal with the impact of the heat wave on Tuesday’s vote.
  • Bias (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Author Conflicts Of Interest (0%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication

58%

  • Unique Points
    • Prime Minister Narendra Modi is escalating his rhetoric against Muslims in his election campaign.
    • He accused the Indian National Congress party of scheming to ‘loot’ wealth from Hindus and redistribute it among Muslims.
  • Accuracy
    • Muslim community is increasingly anxious about their future in India due to Modi’s statements.
  • Deception (30%)
    The article contains several examples of deception through selective reporting and emotional manipulation. The author quotes Prime Minister Modi making inflammatory statements against the Muslim minority, but does not provide any context or counter-perspective. This creates a biased and one-sided view of the situation, which is intended to manipulate the emotions of readers. Additionally, the article selectively reports details that support the author's position (the inflammatory statements) while omitting information that contradicts it (Modi's focus on economic progress in his campaign). This is a form of deception known as 'lying by omission'.
    • Millions of Indian voters across 93 constituencies were casting ballots on Tuesday as Prime Minister Narendra Modi mounted an increasingly shrill election campaign, ramping up polarizing rhetoric in incendiary speeches that have targeted the Muslim minority.
    • Modi, who voted in western Ahmedabad city on Tuesday, had kicked off his campaign with a focus on economic progress, promising he would make India a developed nation by 2047. But in recent weeks, he and the ruling BJP have doubled down heavily on their Hindu nationalism platform.
    • He has also accused the rival Indian National Congress party of scheming to ‘loot’ wealth from the country’s Hindus and redistribute it among Muslims.
    • Modi’s critics say India’s tradition of diversity and secularism has come under attack since the prime minister and his party rose to power a decade ago. While there have long been tensions between India’s majority Hindu community and Muslims, rights groups say that attacks against minorities have become more brazen under Modi.
  • Fallacies (80%)
    The author makes several appeals to authority and uses inflammatory rhetoric in the article. The author quotes Modi making divisive statements about Muslims, which can be considered an appeal to authority as Modi is the one making the claims. Additionally, the author states that 'analysts say' and 'others in Modi's party have echoed his remarks', implying that these individuals are authorities on the matter. The author also uses inflammatory language such as 'incendiary speeches', 'polarizing rhetoric', and 'divisive remarks'. However, no formal fallacies were found in the article.
    • Millions of Indian voters across 93 constituencies were casting ballots on Tuesday as Prime Minister Narendra Modi mounted an increasingly shrill election campaign, ramping up polarizing rhetoric in incendiary speeches that have targeted the Muslim minority.
    • In recent campaign rallies, Modi has called Muslims 'infiltrators' and said they 'have too many children', referring to a Hindu nationalist trope that Muslims produce more children with the aim of outnumbering Hindus in India.
    • Modi, who voted in western Ahmedabad city on Tuesday, had kicked off his campaign with a focus on economic progress, promising he would make India a developed nation by 2047. But in recent weeks, he and the ruling BJP have doubled down heavily on their Hindu nationalism platform.
    • Modi's critics say India's tradition of diversity and secularism has come under attack since the prime minister and his party rose to power a decade ago.
  • Bias (0%)
    The author of this article does not make any statements themselves, but rather reports on the statements made by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his election campaign speeches. However, the bias is evident in the way Modi's statements are presented and described. The author uses language that depicts Muslims as a threat and portrays Modi's accusations against them as factual, without providing any counter-evidence or context to challenge these claims. This creates an unfair and biased representation of the Muslim community in the article.
    • A recent video posted by the BJP on Instagram was more direct. The animated campaign video, which has since been taken down from the social media platform, said if the Congress party comes to power, it will take money and wealth from non-Muslims and redistribute it to Muslims.
      • Modi accused the rival Indian National Congress party of scheming to “loot” wealth from the country’s Hindus and redistribute it among Muslims.
        • Modi has called Muslims “infiltrators” and said they “have too many children,” referring to a Hindu nationalist trope that Muslims produce more children with the aim of outnumbering Hindus in India.
          • Modi said women's wealth could be at risk if Congress comes to power, claiming the party would snatch away their “mangalsutra— a sacred gold chain that indicates a Hindu woman’s marital status — and give it to its voters, a veiled reference to Muslims.
          • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
            None Found At Time Of Publication
          • Author Conflicts Of Interest (0%)
            None Found At Time Of Publication

          96%

          • Unique Points
            • BJP had won 72 out of the 92 seats that went to polls in Phase 3 in previous elections.
            • Key battles were between Sharad Pawar and Ajit Pawar in Baramati, Maharashtra.
          • Accuracy
            • Prime Minister Narendra Modi called Muslims 'infiltrators' during recent campaign rallies.
            • Modi accused the Indian National Congress party of scheming to 'loot' wealth from Hindus and redistribute it among Muslims.
          • Deception (100%)
            None Found At Time Of Publication
          • Fallacies (100%)
            None Found At Time Of Publication
          • Bias (100%)
            None Found At Time Of Publication
          • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
            None Found At Time Of Publication
          • Author Conflicts Of Interest (0%)
            None Found At Time Of Publication

          81%

          • Unique Points
            • The Bharatiya Janata party (BJP) is working overtime to win south Indian constituencies like Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu, focusing on efficient campaign machinery and vast financial resources.
          • Accuracy
            • The BJP is working overtime to win south Indian constituencies like Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu, focusing on efficient campaign machinery and vast financial resources.
            • Making breakthroughs into India’s southern states is crucial for Narendra Modi’s ambitions to gain an even larger parliamentary majority in this election and extend the reach of the BJP to every corner of the country.
            • The buzz around Annamalai has certainly made the BJP more visible in Coimbatore than in the past decade.
            • Many accused Modi of neglecting Tamil Nadu and ruining their businesses with the imposition of a nationwide goods and services tax that is highly unpopular across Tamil Nadu.
            • The BJP looks likely to have an even tougher fight in Kerala, where Muslims make up 26% of the population and Christians 18%.
          • Deception (30%)
            The article contains selective reporting as it only reports details that support the author's position about Modi's ambitions to win over southern states and reshape India's electoral map. The author does not mention any counterarguments or criticisms of Modi or the BJP, creating an imbalanced perspective. Additionally, there is a lack of clear editorializing from the author but there are instances where the author's opinions are implied through phrases such as 'it will be no easy feat for his party' and 'significant inroads'. The article also contains emotional manipulation by describing the excitement and frenzy around Annamalai's campaign, which may influence readers to view Modi and the BJP in a more positive light.
            • But this time round, predicted Vaishnav, the BJP could make ‘significant inroads’ in these states... That would be a huge breakthrough for the BJP and could re-shape India’s electoral map in ways nobody thought possible five years ago.
            • Here in Coimbatore, an industrial city in the southern state of Tamil Nadu, Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata party (BJP) has been working overtime... Making a breakthrough into India’s southern states is crucial to Modi’s ambitions to gain an even larger parliamentary majority in this election and extend the reach of the BJP to every corner of the country.
          • Fallacies (100%)
            None Found At Time Of Publication
          • Bias (100%)
            None Found At Time Of Publication
          • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
            None Found At Time Of Publication
          • Author Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
            None Found At Time Of Publication