A day in India's divisive leader's campaign

(CNN) — The drone of a helicopter shakes the roof of the tent, sending a swirl of dust into the crowd, heralding the arrival of the man they've all come to see.

He can name it, wave the party flag, quote its slogans and in the eyes of many of them he can do no wrong. Narendra Modi is a very popular but deeply polarizing Prime Minister IndiaHe embarked on a campaign to win a third consecutive term in the disputed state of Uttar Pradesh.

Aligarh, a three-hour drive from New Delhi ahead of the rally's arrival, had few lanes where cars, motorcycles and trucks weaved like floods and were out of traffic.

Uttar Pradesh, India's most populous state of 240 million people, lies at the heart of the nation's “Hindi belt,” a predominantly Hindi-speaking Indian state where support for Modi and devotion to his followers are particularly strong.

It is said that if you win Uttar Pradesh you will win India.

A Modi supporter at his rally in Aligarh, India on April 22, 2024. (Photo: John Meese/CNN)

As the sun shines in the dusty countryside of Aligarh and the temperature reaches 38 degrees Celsius, the crowd doesn't mind.

“Modi! Modi! Modi!” they chant, referring to the Bramos nuclear-capable missile developed by Russia and India and soon to be produced at a local factory.

With nearly 970 million voters, India's month-long election — the world's biggest democratic exercise — is seen as decisive in determining the South Asian country's path over the next five years, and Modi is widely expected to win. Here in Uttar Pradesh, pride radiates among the thousands who have gathered to hear the Prime Minister speak.

Maths teacher Pramod Sharma says we are proud to have such a leader. “He does what he says; that's why he is called the 'Modi guarantee'. He is the biggest star in politics right now. No one can replace him.”

Supporters of Modi wear saffron sarees, the color of his Bharatiya Janata Party, in Aligarh, India on April 22, 2024. (Photo: John Meese/CNN)

In many ways, Modi is part of a broader global wave of populist leaders with authoritarian tendencies who have amassed an enthusiastic voter base in recent years.

Modi presents himself as a humble outsider. Born the son of a tea seller in a small town in the western state of Gujarat, he did not fit neatly into the often privately educated, decidedly metropolitan and Anglophone mold established by many earlier Indian leaders.

To his followers, he was a man who transformed the lives of ordinary Indians with his social and welfare policies, while establishing India as a major power. But to his detractors, he was a divisive leader whose Hindu nationalist ambitions led to growing religious persecution. IslamophobiaAnd many of the country's more than 200 million Muslims fear his re-election.

A day before this April 22 rally in Aligarh, Modi had courted controversy over hate speech while campaigning in the northwestern state of Rajasthan. He also repeated the false conspiracy of some Hindu nationalists that Muslims are displacing the majority Hindu population of the country by deliberately having large families.

The speech sparked widespread outrage and calls for election officials to investigate the comments. Later, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokespersons said Modi was referring to undocumented immigrants.

Modi supporters take a selfie in Aligarh, India on April 22, 2024. (Photo: John Meese/CNN)

Modi's statements did not shake the confidence of his loyalists in Aligarh.

Lawyer Gaurav Mahajan says this is the fifth Modi campaign rally he has attended. “He is the most powerful leader in the world,” he says. Indians have faith in Modi.

With only two phases of seven polls completed, Indian politics remains unpredictable. But analysts say Modi's re-election is widely expected because no one in the opposition camp has the brand and star quality that Modi has.

Meanwhile, opposition leaders have accused Modi's right-wing government of becoming an electoral autocracy and warn that Modi's Hindu nationalism is fueling dangerous religious divisions in a country with a long and tragic history of sectarian bloodshed.

BJP's National Spokesperson had earlier said that BJP does not discriminate against Muslims and democracy is protected by the Constitution.

Supporters wave the BJP flag of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Aligarh, India on April 22, 2024. (Photo: John Meese/CNN)

Modi is expected to continue campaigning until India's next prime minister is named in early June, touring the vast country, going from city to city to deliver his thunderous speeches.

In Aligarh, without the divisive rhetoric of Rajasthan, the atmosphere is that of a joyous rally.

When the crowd saw our camera, they shouted, 'Modi! Modi! Modi!'

Young and old alike, the feeling of the crowd seems to be universal.

“There are no words to express Modi's kindness,” says Narayan Pakkouri, a 17-year-old engineering student.

“There is none greater than him.”