In the fourth round of a seven-week general election, India held voting on Monday amid increasingly aggressive campaigning focused on religious and economic disparities.
This seven-phase election, which began on April 19 in the world's most populous nation, in which about a billion voters are eligible to attend. The votes are expected to be counted on June 4.
In the race for a remarkable third term in government, Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is up against a coalition of more than two dozen opposition parties, including the Congress, which is his main rival.
A total of 177 million voters are eligible to cast ballots in the 96 seats up for election in 10 territories and states on Monday. In Telangana, Odisha, and Andhra Pradesh, which are in the country's east and south, the BJP holds a comparatively smaller number of seats compared to other regions.
Watching turnout is important since somewhat lower numbers in the previous three phases have sparked worries about voters' boredom in a contest lacking a compelling focal point. With maximum temperatures in several areas of the country reaching 40 degrees Celsius (104°F) or above, observers are also keeping an eye on how hot weather affects voting.
There are questions over whether the BJP and its partners can pull off the landslide victory that opinion surveys were predicting in light of the decreased turnout.
According to analysts, Modi changed the direction of his campaign after the initial phase due to the reduced turnout. He now accuses the Congress of extending welfare benefits to Muslims, even though these benefits would help Hindu castes and underprivileged tribal tribes more than Muslims.
The BJP disputes the claim made by the Congress, which is that they never made such a pledge and that Modi is terrified by the turnout.
India is home to 1.4 billion Hindus, or almost 80% of the world's population, but it also boasts 200 million Muslims, making it the world's third-biggest Muslim population. According to surveys, the primary concerns among voters are rising prices and unemployment.
Prior to the vote on Monday, the Supreme Court granted temporary release to Arvind Kejriwal, the chief minister of Delhi and a major opposition leader, enabling him to campaign. This gave the opposition INDIA coalition, led by the Congress, a boost.
Kejriwal was detained in a liquor policy graft case one month prior to the elections, but he refutes the accusations, while the government maintains that it has no bearing on law enforcement.