Hindu nationalism pushed in voting test for Modi’s politics

By KRUTIKA PATHI
Associated Press

AYODHYA, India (AP) — Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s party is touting Hindu-first politics and big-ticket construction projects to woo voters in the most populous state of Uttar Pradesh. One of them is a mega three-story Hindu temple being built on land where a 16th-century mosque stood before a Hindu mob tore it down in 1992. But there is rising fear and uncertainty among minority Muslims, many of whom feel marginalized by the state’s top elected official, a firebrand Hindu priest seeking reelection. The Bharatiya Janata Party’s appeal to the Hindu base is impossible to miss as the state begins voting Thursday in a barometer of the party’s popularity ahead of general elections in 2024. Unemployment has risen but the BJP is seeking another victory.