translation: we will go| stand in the queue at 6am and on our way back from voting, we will encourage others too. translation: each vote is very important for us. | if one person doesn't vote, then their voice will not be represented. that's why we take it upon ourselves to educate all women that voting is your duty, your responsibility as a citizen of india. a staggering 18.3 million first—time voters are eligible to vote in these elections. this is the age that we start to form our political opinions. we can actually vote for the first time right now and see how it's going to unfold. what, for you, is the most important election issue? india lacks infrastructure. there is some kind of dictatorship- that is going around in the country, - promotion ofjust one religion. so that should not be done. take a look at these empty, dusty beds. this entire building was

meant to be a trauma centre. but look, the operating theatre — locked. three years after covid stretched india's healthcare to the limits... shouting ..we ask how important healthcare is in this election. translation: we will keep all of this in mind _ when we are voting. whichever political party works on this will get our vote. 28 million people rely on fishing, but catches are dwindling. translation: lots of promises are made during elections, - but no—one has ensured our daily needs are met. i've come for a run at a park just across the street from my hotel. come with me. i've seen the most incredible thing. this entire enclosure is full of exercise equipment and it's completely dedicated to women. so i thought, what better place to ask women what issues matter to them in this election?

translation: peoplel have so many demands from the government, but do they fulfil those? they don't. they only care about the rich, not the poor. progress must be made for everyone. translation: if men - are unquestioned, why are we? even today, society tells us what to wear. that attitude needs to change. hello and welcome to this is india. i'm samira hussain and today we're talking elections. i'm in the southern state of kerala, famous for its network of palm—lined lakes and lagoons. it has one of the best healthcare systems in the country and one of the highest literacy rates. and it's from this picturesque seaside state that we kick off our election coverage. just take a look at this — some 969 million voters are eligible to cast their ballot,

which takes place in seven phases in just over six weeks. that is the population of the us, russia, japan, brazil, france and britain. and since we're still a bit short, let's throw in belgium into the mix. nearly 1.5 million polling booths have been set up across the country. 15 million polling officials and security staff will be needed to run them. 5.5 million electronic voting machines will be used to elect the 543 mp5. results will be announced on june 4. in case you haven't had enough of numbers, check this one out. more than 18 million new first—time voters are heading to the polls. so, what are the issues that matter to them?

this is really delicious. um, are you talking with your friends about the election and what are you guys talking about? decrease in the constitutional rights of indian people. major issue facing in this election is confusion, to which party i need to vote. this is my first vote, so i don't want to waste that vote by giving a corrupted party a vote. yeah, everything is corrupt. everyone is doing that, like, i working for their own benefit. what is something that you want to see changed in your country? i think in india we have, very, you know, double—sided wealth distribution. um, like one side, you see the very rich cities and, uh, rich people in their... flaunting in their fancy cars, and in the same fancy city, while we're waiting at a traffic signal, we see poor kids coming. due to the lack of, let's say, financial structure, the wealth distribution is unequal.

right to vote is a - constitutional right for me. i don't want to waste that right. _ i need to change i caste discrimination from the country. i feel like this is the age that we start to form our political opinions. we can actually vote for the first time right now and see how it's going to unfold. so that is very exciting. what, for you, is the most important election issue? india lacks infrastructure on a huge ground. there have been times where i was kind of, like, sexually harassed and there was... so i think that government should focus on giving us such public transport where women can feel safe. if government are providing security| to the women and i the female students, then there will be - more educated people in the remote areas of india. i think the health sector needs much more attention.

the health sector is, like, very, very bad in our country. so when covid happened, the major flaw we saw was in our medical healthcare infrastructure. i would actually expect whichever party gets elected to particularly think and work on that sector. if you go to small villages, people have to travel a lot to get better treatment. l and. plus, — the government hospitals are not so much developed. according to the population, i think the health sector, the infrastructure, the people who are... like, the number of people who are homeless in our country, the number of people who don't eat at night, you know, when they go to sleep, like, it'sjust a lot more. and i think that should be addressed first. there is some kind of dictatorship that is going around in the country, promotion ofjust one religion. so that should not be done. so, does anyone else feel like that? having a clash between two communities, it is going to be really messy. political parties should not support any other... - ..any particular- community or religion.

we all have the right to profess our religion, our culture, and we should not, you know, get, you know, influenced by anybody else. you need someone who can spread peace and make india unite again. so, who are they voting for? leader of the ruling party, the bjp, narendra modi, who is campaigning for a third term as prime minister. then there's rahul gandhi, who has been leading the charge for the indian national congress, the party in power before the bjp kicked them out. interestingly, india was one of the first countries to have a female prime minister as early as the 19605. women make up nearly half of all eligible voters, and in the last election, voter turnout among women was equal to that of men. they're an absolute powerhouse in the polling booth and political parties, all of them, are actively trying to woo them.

so i spent the day with a group of women who take their civic duty to vote very seriously, and they've been pounding the pavement in the suburb of patna to make sure women have their voices heard. on a mission to get everyone in their community, especially women, to cast a ballot. they're making sure id cards are in hand and up—to—date. translation: we will go| stand in the queue at 6am, and on our way back from voting, we will encourage others too. translation: yes, - that's what you need to do. vote and make others vote too. for more than a month now, these women have been going door to door in their community, encouraging people to get out and vote in these elections. and that's despite the intense heat. the country's

in the middle of a heatwave, and right now, it's 42 degrees celsius. the oppressive heat will not deter these women, firm believers in their civic duty to vote. translation: each vote is very important for us. | if one person doesn't vote, then their voice will not be represented. that's why we take it upon ourselves to educate all women that voting is your duty, your responsibility as a citizen of india. we are doing this to get as many women out to vote as possible. the democratic process is a festive occasion, full of colour and a belief that every vote matters. india, with its 1.2 billion people, is incredibly diverse, and what motivates voters to vote differs from state to state. now, in many countries, people are really concerned

about their access to healthcare. three years ago, the covid pandemic pushed india's healthcare system beyond capacity. then, the pandemic made healthcare a part of the political discourse. but now, in this first general election since the pandemic, well, healthcare doesn't seem to be a big issue on the campaign trail. now, this story starts in bihar, one of the country's poorest states. chanting more than 600 days of protesting and still no change. blocking traffic, desperate to be heard. even after the deadly pandemic, the state of healthcare in this part of rural bihar remains in shambles. translation: covid was so bad, that people were dying like stray dogs. there were no facilities. private doctors had fled.

we were told to take the patient home. there was no treatment available. he sobs three years ago, covid brought the world to its knees. india's healthcare system was pushed way beyond capacity. an unimaginable number of dead. hey! this man's grief is only bearable when praying. he blames himself for his wife's death. translation: she was my wife. protecting her was my responsibility. what can i say? if a doctor saw her, if she had oxygen, she wouldn't have died. this is my trauma. the feeling here is that no lessons were learned post—covid. take a look at these empty, dusty beds. this entire building was meant to be a trauma centre — but, look,

the operating theatre — locked. over here, x—ray machine area — also locked. it has not been working as a trauma centre since it was built in 200a. in fact, right now, it's being used partly for primary healthcare. move from the north to india's southern states, and not even kerala, with its superior healthcare, was spared the wrath of covid. since the pandemic, this rural community health centre has made significant upgrades. new isolation ward, lab and revamped outpatient clinic. a noticeable difference in the level of care. translation: the facilities in the centre are good, - but some antibiotics are usually unavailable and this needs to be sorted out. translation: the waiting times have come down drastically. - other facilities are also available. the infrastructure has also improved.

such is the divide in india where parts of the country were able to rebuild while others could not. translation: we will keep all of this in mind _ when we are voting. whichever political party works on this will get our vote. the pandemic brought the dire state of healthcare into the spotlight, and even after its devastating impacts, healthcare remains absent as a major issue on the campaign trail. low—wage workers make up the backbone of the indian economy and voting population, but it's a group that we rarely hear from. about 28 million people rely on fishing for their livelihood. recently, prime minister narendra modi stirred up controversy when he criticised an opposition leader for eating fish during a nine—day hindu festival — but, forfishermen,

they are far more concerned with how they will make a living dwindle. men sing and chant an intricate dance. keeping to a beat. pulling in their catch. the setting is serene, but the work is gruelling. for most of these men, fishing is all they know. all you feel here are calluses. his entire hand is very, very rough. translation: we hardly meet our daily needs - from thisjob. there is not much profit. we do not know any other work. the earnings are not consistent. we may have to use the money we make from one day to meet our needs for a week sometimes. all that effort for not a lot of reward. it's becoming harder and harder to make a living, leaving these men worried about their future.

these men are wrapping up their nets for the day. they were out fishing from 5:30 this morning, and they caught about $35 worth of fish — and that's really not a lot when you consider that they have to divide it amongst eight different people. these men have no option but to sell what they catch. fishing is a big industry for the state, but the fishermen feel forgotten. translation: we have only stories of sorrow to share. . no government has ensured compensation for our losses. we feel neglected. lots of promises are made during elections, but no—one has ensured our daily needs are met. politically aware, but much more concerned with how much fish they will catch tomorrow. india has long had religious divisions,

but critics say that the fault lines have deepened in the decade since the bjp came to power. an early bjp promise was to rebuild a temple dedicated to the hindu god ram in the northern city of ayodhya. the temple replaced a 16th century mosque torn down by hindu mobs in 1992, sparking riots in which nearly 2,000 people died. the new temple was inaugurated with much fanfare by mr modi injanuary. the prime minister of a secular state inaugurating a temple led critics to claim that india is becoming a hindu state, and that minorities are increasingly fearful for their place in their own country. the government says that they respect minority rights. at a political rally last week, mr modi called muslims infiltrators who would take people's wealth if his opponents came to power. the opposition

accused him of hate speech. that divisive language does not define all of india. i found one street corner that tells a different story. we were driving around the city and we stopped when we saw this hindu temple. it struck us. why did it strike us? take a look what's just beside it. a mosque. and, actually, evening prayers are taking place right now — but it doesn't stop just there. take a walk with me. you can still see the mosque and the temple behind me — but if you look over just this way, you see that there's actually a church here too. now, it's not uncommon in india to see a mosque, a temple and a church all in the same area, but here, a busy intersection in the middle of the city, it almost feels like these buildings are making a statement. so we decided that we wanted to speak to some of the people around here about what they make of all of this. when you see a masjid, a mandir and a church

all together, what do you think? unity in diversity. people in different culture, all are mixing and living together. is that good or bad? good. it's good. sharing is good. translation: there are issues in kerala as well. _ you can see some minor turbulences among some of the caste groups or religious groups here and there, but that is not affecting the harmony among these three communities, basicallx — so, if the people understand the value of this harmony, the state of kerala will flourish like anything. translation: india i is a democratic country which values all religions. all these three religions are treated equally by the country, and that's why you see a set—up like this. the two main contenders for prime minister are men, and if you look at india's parliament today, less than 15%

of members are women. so, that got me thinking about what women want from their elected leaders, and why representation matters. all questions i pondered as i was out on my morning run. i've come for a run at a park just across the street from my hotel. come with me. i've seen the most incredible thing. this entire enclosure is full of exercise equipment, and it's completely dedicated to women. so, i thought, what better place to ask women what issues matter to them in this election. throughout this programme, we have been speaking to people

from different states and different backgrounds, really showcasing the length and breadth of india, staying away from the usual political scenes, speaking directly to the people about the issues that matter. we hope that you've enjoyed watching as much as we've enjoyed bringing you these stories.

this is india. hello. we've got a long—awaited spell of dry and sunny weather for many of us over the next few days. not quite dry everywhere. a bit of rain around across the far north of scotland. and we'll also see some misty, murky patches during the mornings. they could be a little bit slow to clear. so, not wall—to—wall blue skies for the next few days, but high pressure is bringing a lot of dry, settled weather, with light winds, too. now, we're likely to start thursday morning with that patchy rain in the far northwest, but further south, i think some mist and some fog patches around here and there, particularly so for parts of the southwest of england and wales. could be some mistiness creeping in to east anglia. around some of these irish sea

coasts, the isle of man, towards cumbria, some of that fog could be quite slow to clear. for scotland, there'll be some brighter spells across eastern areas — like aberdeenshire, for instance — but there'll be more cloud and outbreaks of rain moving in across the western isles, parts of highland too. that rain looks like it eases away, pushes a little bit further northward. so for much of the uk, dry with sunny spells, and that's going to lift those temperatures to somewhere between around 19—22 degrees for many of us. just a little bit cooler across the north of scotland. now, through thursday evening, overnight into friday, we've got some more rain that'll push across parts of highland. elsewhere, dry once again, relatively mild temperatures — in double figures for many of us. but, again, i think friday morning could see a few misty patches that will gradually clear away. so, friday itself, i think longer spells of sunshine on offer, light winds and those temperatures probably up a degree or so. so, more widely, we're looking at temperatures in the low 20s, possibly the mid—20s in the south. still a little cooler than that for stornoway and lerwick, for instance. into the weekend, high pressure still close, but it slips away towards the east,

and that will just open the doors for areas of low pressure to try and move in from the west. but i think saturday itself, a good deal of dry weather. cloud will tend to bubble up through the day, and that could just spark off one or two showers, perhaps northern england, southern scotland, but they'll be hit and miss. temperatures are again up in the mid 20s — could see 2a in one or two places. similar start to the day on sunday, but you'll notice these showers trying to push in towards the west. they could be quite slow—moving, potentially heavy and thundery in places. where it does stay dry, probably towards the south and southeast, we could well see temperatures again in the mid—205, but then it looks like the showers will dominate as we head into next week. so, more unsettled weather on the cards for the start of next week. still a little bit warmer than average, but not as warm as the next few days.

live from washington, this is bbc news. president biden issues a new warning to israel about us military support, as it plans a ground invasion of gaza's southernmost city, rafah. chinese president xijinping arrives in hungary, the final stop on his tour of europe. several people trapped in the rubble of a building in south africa that collapsed monday make contact with rescuers. hello. i'm caitriona perry. you're very welcome. presidentjoe biden says the united states will stop supplying some weapons to israel if it moves forward with an invasion of rafah in southern gaza. in an interview with cnn, he also said civilians in gaza

were killed by bombs given to israel by the us. defense secretary lloyd austin said wednesday the us is reviewing weapons deliveries to israel after it paused a recent shipment over concerns it would invade rafah. biden administration officials have warned for months that the president is opposed to an israeli ground invasion rafah without efforts to protect more than 1.4 million palestinians sheltering there — most of whom are already displaced from other parts of gaza. and following developments from washington is our us state department correspondent tom bateman. what we know is that there was a pause as the administration has described it on one consignment of weapons from the americans to the israelis that was put in place last week. this is on a consignment that includes a batch of 2000—pound bombs, among the most destructive munitions,