evidence: For Modi, the melding of religion and politics has been a lifelong project that has turned him into one of the world’s most popular and polarizing leaders. While Indian elections are notoriously unpredictable, pre-election polls show his Hindu-dominant Bharatiya Janata Party, or BJP, is poised to win another majority when a six-week national election winds up on June 4, extending his 10-year rule and all but assuring he’ll hold the office continuously for the longest period since Jawaharlal Nehru, India’s first prime minister. [...] He’s dogmatic when it comes to religion but is largely a pragmatist on economic policy. He speaks of India in thousand-year increments but pores over the smallest details of government programs. He lives modestly but cares deeply about his image. He’s a champion of the poor and a friend to billionaires. He wins democratic elections but faces accusations of suppressing political rivals and largely avoids unscripted media encounters. He unites Hindus who account for 80% of India’s population but has left religious minorities — particularly Muslims — feeling marginalized, unwanted and fearful. [...] "No matter what function there was in the school, he would always stand at the forefront," Shyamlal Das Modi said of the prime minister. "He was a master of words. We weren’t as talented as him."