India’s PM Narendra Modi is widely expected to win a third term, but recent lower voter turnout has been a cause of concern for Modi’s BJP.

Monday’s polling in the fifth round of India’s national elections across is critical for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), as it includes its stronghold Uttar Pradesh, particularly the city of Ayodhya.

The polls in Ayodhya are seen as a test for Modi’s Hindu-first politics. In January, Modi oversaw the opening of the $217 million (€200 million) Hindu temple, built on a site where a mosque was destroyed in 1992.

This is what the ruling government is highlighting as its crowning achievement.

In Ayodhya, amid soaring temperatures, Shachindra Sharma, questioned the merit of voting along religious lines. “Why should the Ram Temple be a guiding factor for voters? Lord Ram is a matter of faith, while voting is a democratic process to elect a government,” Sharma told the AP news agency. “Is there any guarantee that a party advocating for the Ram Temple will provide security and lead the country towards progress?”

His wife, Renuka Sharma, countered his view and said, “Lord Ram is the biggest issue in this election.”

While issues such as unemployment and inflation impact people, Modi and the BJP hope the Hindu sentiment over the temple will help secure a third term.

Uttar Pradesh’s Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, also of the BJP, has framed the election as a choice between “devotees of Ram” and “anti-Ram forces,” urging votes for those who built the Ram Temple.