Modi Congratulates Putin, Preparations for Legislative Elections Begin in India

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has congratulated Russian President Vladimir Putin on his election victory. According to a Kremlin statement, “during a detailed telephone conversation, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Vladimir Putin on his confident victory in the Russian presidential election and expressed his sincere wishes for the well-being and prosperity of the Russian people.” The two leaders discussed the current situation and prospects for the development of historical friendly relations between the two countries. “The aspiration for further cooperation between Russia and India in multilateral formats, including the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and BRICS, was confirmed,” the Kremlin stressed, noting that “Modi and Putin discussed bilateral relations, ties in trade, economy, investment, energy, and transport.” The two leaders praised the development of cooperation between Moscow and New Delhi. The Kremlin emphasized that the conversation took place in a warm and friendly atmosphere. “Vladimir Putin, for his part, wished Narendra Modi success in the upcoming parliamentary elections in India,” the document said.

In India, the race before the biggest election in human history has begun. Voting is scheduled to begin on April 19. It will continue for 6 weeks, with different regions allocating 7-day segments for the actual voting. Some 968 million eligible Indians (more than 10% of the world’s population) will be invited to 1.2 million polling stations. Voters will have to name 543 members of the next lower house of the Indian parliament. The results will be announced on June 4, 2024. 2400 political parties will participate in the elections. According to opinion polls, the clear favorite is Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is likely to win his third consecutive mandate.