Voting began Tuesday in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s home state of Gujarat in the third phase of India’s elections, with campaigns between the two main parties turning increasingly bitter.
The final round of India’s seven-phase elections will also see voting in parts of Maharashtra, Telangana, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka and other regions. A total of eleven states and territories go to the polls on Tuesday, with 93 seats in India’s lower house of parliament, the Lok Sabha, at stake.
Modi is seeking a historic third term in power, with his ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) campaigning on India’s fast-growing economy and an assertive pro-Hindu agenda that critics say has marginalized Muslims and other minorities.
