National convenor of the Bharat Jodo Abhiyan Yogendra Yadav, who is on a 1,500-km tour of Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Haryana and Bihar, says there is a palpable absence of any Modi wave in the Hindi belt, where the BJP had won the maximum seats in 2019. He says livelihood issues dominate conversations in a big way, as also indicated by the recent CSDS survey.

Many who voted Modi in 2014 and 2019 say they won't vote BJP this time but seem overwhelmed by the narrative of "Ayega to Modi hi". Yadav says it seems apparent that the BJP will reduce its seats tally in the Hindi belt as compared to 2019. The same performance is unlikely to be repeated. Also, he says, the current election is less presidential than the previous two Lok Sabha polls.

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