Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) are widely expected to win the six-week long election. Turnout in the first phase of voting last week was 66%, down nearly four percentage points compared with the 2019 election. Indian media attributed the lower turnout to unusually high temperatures across the country. Ahead of the reopening of polling stations on Thursday, Modi appealed to voters to turn out in "record numbers". "High voter turnout strengthens our democracy. Your vote is your voice!" Modi said on the social media platform Koo. The second phase of voting in the seven-stage election, staggered to ease the logistical challenge of holding an election in the world's most populous nation, is taking place in regions where temperatures have topped 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) this week. The India Meteorological Department said Thursday that intense heat wave conditions were likely to prevail over several states through the weekend, including the eastern state of Bihar, where people in five districts are voting on Thursday. Temperatures in the region were more than 5.1 degrees Celsius (9.2 degrees Fahrenheit) above normal this week. The southern state of Karnataka and parts of Uttar Pradesh in the north, India's most populous state and the heartland of Hinduism, are also set to vote during the heat wave. Modi, 73, remains hugely popular after two terms in office, during which India has sought to boost its diplomatic clout and economic heft. Political pundits have already handed him victory against a divided opposition. Earlier this week, India's Election Commission said it had set up a task force to examine the impact of heat and humidity before each phase of voting. "Heat wave conditions may have led to a dip in voter turnout," the commission said in a statement, according to The Hindu newspaper. In a press release on Monday, the commission said it had "no major concerns" about the impact of high temperatures on Thursday's vote, but that it was closely monitoring weather reports. An exceptional heat wave has gripped South and Southeast Asia, particularly the Philippines and Bangladesh, where thousands of schools have been forced to close. In the western Indian state of Maharashtra, the heat caused the state's road minister, Nitin Gadkari, to collapse at an election rally on Wednesday while appealing for votes for the BJP. Scientists say heat waves are becoming longer, more frequent and more intense because of global warming. Voters in the constituency of India's main opposition leader, Rahul Gandhi of the Congress party, are going to the polls on Thursday. Gandhi, 53, is fighting to retain his seat in the southern state of Kerala, a stronghold for his party and one of the few states where the BJP has struggled to make inroads. "It is the duty of every citizen to become a soldier of the Constitution, come out of their homes today and vote to protect democracy," Gandhi said on the social media platform Koo. In total, 968 million Indians are eligible to vote for the 543 members of the lower house of parliament -- more than the combined populations of the United States, the European Union and Russia. Votes from across the country will be counted on June 4. Results are usually announced the same day. Also Read: Pelo menos quatro mortos em ataque da Junta Militar em Myanmar (Portuguese version)