Fears of India evolving into a Hindu theocratic nation loom large as the pro-Hindu Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) seeks a second term by placating Hindu sentiment ahead of the April-May parliamentary election.

Secular and liberal political groups say the poll will be crucial in forging the future identity of the country, which defined itself as a secular-democratic nation after British rule ended in 1947.

“Hindu pride is the plat-form on which voters are being courted, which is a big concern,” said Alok Verma, a rights activist in the Northern State of Jammu and Kashmir.

The April 11 to May 19 elections will see 900 million eligible voters select 543 parliamentarians. The party with the most seats will govern the country for the next five years. The BJP, in office since 2014, again finds itself pitted against the Congress party, its nemes is. But critics like Verma worry it is stoking religious intolerance and hate as a ploy to win over more Hindus.