India election: Modi and rivals trade accusations as voter turnout slumps in second phase

Parties clash over communal issues in increasingly charged campaign amid concerns unseasonably hot weather affecting voter numbers

India has held the second phase of the world’s biggest election, with prime minister Narendra Modi and his rivals hurling accusations of religious discrimination and threats to democracy amid flagging voter turnout.

Almost 1 billion people are eligible to vote in the seven-phase general election that began on 19 April and concludes on 1 June, with votes set to be counted on 4 June.