NEW DELHI, India: Millions of Indians began voting Saturday in regional elections seen as the first major test of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s party after his controversial move to ban all high-value notes last year.
Five Indian states will elect new governments over the next five weeks in a multi-phased election, with voting kicking off in northern Punjab and coastal Goa in the west.
Modi’s bold move to ban the notes that made up 86 percent of the currency was aimed at curbing widespread tax evasion, but has also dented growth and caused widespread pain to the millions of Indians who lack access to formal banking.
His personal popularity has remained high well into his first term, but the elections are being seen as a test of its endurance.
In a tweet Saturday morning, the Hindu-nationalist leader called on voters in the first phase to exercise their right to vote.
“Urging people of Punjab and Goa to turnout in record numbers and vote in the Assembly elections,” he said.
Residents were seen queueing outside polling booths across both states, where more than 40 million voters are eligible to cast their ballots to elect a total of 157 legislators.
Massive security arrangements were in place to ensure violence-free voting, with hundreds of thousands of security forces personnel on guard outside pollings stations.
Modi’s party is likely to lose out in Punjab, where it has been in power alongside its regional alliance partner since 2007, but also where a turnaround for the center-left opposition Congress Party is possible.
Rahul Gandhi, the 44-year-old Nehru-Gandhi family scion who is seen as the party’s next head, has pulled out all the stops to revive its fortunes, facing criticism after a series of state election defeats.
“It is the most important election for the Congress party which needs a victory on its own,” said Nistula Hebbar, political editor with The Hindu newspaper.
“The erosion of its political support has been spectacular. More than anyone, Rahul Gandhi needs a standalone victory to silence critics both outside and within the party,” she added.
Uttar Pradesh
But the biggest test for Modi will be in India’s most populous state Uttar Pradesh (UP), where the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won big in the 2014 general election.
The state is important because it sends the highest number of MPs to the upper house of the national parliament, where the BJP currently lacks a majority.
The northern state of Uttarakhand and Manipur in the northeast will also elect new governments, with results for all five states due on March 11.
“The immediate conclusion that can be drawn for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is whether the larger politics behind demonetization... has worked or not,” Kanchan Gupta, commissioning editor with ABP News, told AFP.
“It would also be a reflection on whether in these two-and-a-half years, the national government has been able to perform with a credibility that overwhelms the performance of individual state governments.”
Modi needs to win state elections to gain more seats in the nation’s upper house of parliament, which has blocked reforms seen as crucial to fueling the economic growth it has promised voters.
Most members of the upper house are indirectly elected by state legislatures.
A stellar performance by Modi’s party in UP propelled him to national victory in 2014 and the state offers its best chance to take more seats in the upper house.
“The BJP swept Uttar Pradesh with the largest chunk of MPs in 2014. A defeat here would signal that there has been erosion of support for Mr.Modi,” said Hebbar.
Indians go to the polls in test for Modi’s cash ban
Indians go to the polls in test for Modi’s cash ban
Ukrainian and Polish presidents show unity against Russia, address historical tensions
- Nawrocki said Poland supported efforts to transfer frozen Russian assets to Ukraine as well as further sanctions against Russia
- Zelensky said: “If the world compels Russia to make peace, we will use these funds exclusively for the reconstruction of our country”
WARSAW: The Ukrainian and Polish presidents met in Warsaw on Friday to underline their countries’ unity in the face of Russia. They also signaled progress on historical reconciliation, which had caused tension in bilateral relations in the past.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was welcomed by his Polish counterpart, Karol Nawrocki, at the Presidential Palace for a visit intended to ensure that relations with key ally Poland remain stable, regardless of any change in power in Warsaw.
Poland’s liberal government is a solid backer of Ukraine, with Prime Minister Donald Tusk acting as one of the most visceral advocates of Kyiv in international fora. But presidential election results this year indicate that the previous, nationalist Law and Justice party might return to power in 2027.
Nawrocki, who won elections with the backing of Law and Justice, has been playing hard to get. He has requested that Ukrainians demonstrate gratitude for Polish support since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022 and insisted that Kyiv should not be allowed to join the European Union unconditionally.
Speaking during a press conference on Friday, Nawrocki signaled that he was happy with Zelensky’s visit. He said the presence of the Ukrainian president in Warsaw was good news for Warsaw and Kyiv and bad news for Moscow.
“In strategic matters, our strategic cooperation in the field of security issues, Poland, Ukraine, countries of the region, countries filled with democratic values are together and this has never been in doubt,” Nawrocki said.
Nawrocki said Poland supported efforts to transfer frozen Russian assets to Ukraine as well as further sanctions against Russia and action against its shadow fleet. Zelensky said Ukraine was ready to share its expertise on drone defense and welcomed Polish businesses to participate in Ukraine’s reconstruction.
European funds
Zelensky expressed his gratitude for Poland’s support, including for backing a massive interest-free loan from the European Union to Ukraine. European leaders had agreed earlier on Friday to provide 90 billion euros ($106 billion) to meet Kyiv’s military and economic needs for the next two years.
“If Russia drags out this war — and that is exactly the signal the entire world hears from Moscow, as they continue to threaten us — we will use these funds for defense, if the war continues,” Zelensky said in Warsaw.
“If the world compels Russia to make peace, we will use these funds exclusively for the reconstruction of our country.”
The Ukrainian leader also commented on news that Russia had deployed its latest nuclear-capable Oreshnik missile system to Belarus.
“This poses a threat to many European countries, including Poland, Germany, and others,” Zelensky said, adding that Ukraine had shared information about the Oreshnik with Western countries.
He said that Ukraine urged its allies to impose sanctions on companies that produce components used in the Oreshnik system but has not seen any results yet.
Historical wounds
The two presidents struck a conciliatory tone on the topic of the exhumation of Polish victims lying in mass graves in the Ukrainian region of Volhynia.
During World War II, Polish-Ukrainian relations in the Nazi-occupied regions of Volhynia and Eastern Galicia were marked by violent interethnic conflict. Armed formations on both sides, including the Ukrainian Insurgent Army and Polish underground forces, were involved in attacks and reprisals that led to large-scale civilian casualties among both Poles and Ukrainians.
The historical tragedy has been a major source of tension between the two countries. Polish authorities estimate tens of thousands of Poles were murdered.
In January, Poland and Ukraine reached an agreement under which Ukraine will allow the exhumation of some Polish victims, which was considered a major breakthrough. Exhumations have already taken place this year in the village of Puzhnyky in Ukraine’s western Ternopil region, uncovering the remains of at least 42 people believed to be victims of the Volhynia massacres, and at Lviv-Zboiska. Further permissions were granted by both sides for exhumations at other locations.
Nawrocki, however, asked for more concessions from Ukraine. Representatives of Ukrainian and Polish institutions dealing with historical memory met on Friday alongside the presidents.
“The Ukrainian side is ready to meet Polish expectations to accelerate work on this matter,” Zelensky said.
“We respect the Polish perspective on the history of our nations. We honor your memory of what happened and expect the same respect for our Ukrainian memory.”
