Key Indian state polls begin in test for Modi's party
Getty ImagesPeople in the Indian states of Assam and Kerala, and the federally administered region of Puducherry (formerly Pondicherry), have begun voting to choose their next governments in what is seen as a test for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's party.
Two more states - West Bengal and Tamil Nadu - vote later this month, with counting for all five set for 4 May.
Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is trying to expand beyond its traditional strongholds into regions where it has struggled to gain a foothold.
The polls are also crucial for opposition parties, which are aiming to mount a sustained challenge to the BJP's nationwide dominance.
According to India's Election Commission, the five regions have a combined 174 million voters - about 18% of the country's electorate.
The BJP at present is in power in Assam and part of the ruling alliance in Puducherry but has never formed a government in West Bengal, Kerala or Tamil Nadu. In all three states, it will take on established regional parties which are fighting to stay on or come back to power.
"It's a big test for the BJP, which has spent years trying to expand in West Bengal and southern states like Kerala and Tamil Nadu," Rahul Verma, a political scientist at the Centre for Policy Research, told the BBC.
But, he said, the polls are an even bigger challenge for opposition parties, particularly the Congress, whose electoral strength has declined in recent years.
"The results will show whether they [Congress] can mount a serious challenge in Assam and build on recent local election gains in Kerala. The election will also give a glimpse into how the broader opposition alliance is managing internal tensions," he added.
The polls - covering 824 assembly seats across the five regions - come amid a major controversy over a revision of electoral rolls, known as Special Intensive Revision (SIR). The Election Commission says that the exercise is aimed at removing duplicate or outdated entries and adding legit ones.
But opposition parties have criticised the exercise, alleging it has been used to delete millions of voters, especially Muslims, to benefit the BJP. The BJP and the Election Commission have denied this.
Getty ImagesEach region going to polls in April faces distinct political dynamics.
In Assam, politics has long been shaped by anxieties around migration, identity and citizenship, particularly along its border with Bangladesh. The BJP has been in power in the northeastern state for a decade, and the election is seen as a test of whether it can retain that dominance.
The campaign here has been marked by sharp rhetoric from Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma of the BJP, who has framed the election discourse around undocumented immigration and demographic change, often making derogatory comments about Bengali-speaking Muslims. The opposition, led by the Congress, is seeking to consolidate support around governance, economic concerns and regional identity.
Kerala ranks among India's top states in human development indicators such as literacy, healthcare and life expectancy and campaigns here often focus on welfare delivery and governance. The southern state has traditionally alternated between alliances led by the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and the Congress. The Left party alliance has been in power for a decade now, and will be looking to overcome the anti-incumbency factor.
Coastal enclave Puducherry, which has a 30-member assembly, is currently governed by the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance. Campaign debates here usually centre on welfare, employment, development and relations with the federal government.
India's eastern state West Bengal, the most populous of the five regions, with more than 70 million voters, has been governed by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee of the Trinamool Congress party since 2011. The BJP has emerged as its principal challenger in recent years. The state votes in two phases on 23 and 29 April.
Banerjee has sought to project the BJP as an outsider force, arguing that its politics does not align with West Bengal's linguistic and cultural traditions. The BJP, which has been trying to dismiss this characterisation, has centred its campaign on broader concerns such as undocumented immigration and national security, sharpening a polarised contest in the state which borders Bangladesh.
The campaign here has been dominated by controversies around the SIR exercise, with a final list showing that nine million voters have been deleted. The largest number of deletions are from the Muslim-majority district of Murshidabad.
Tamil Nadu has long been dominated by two regional parties - the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK), which is contesting the election in an alliance with the BJP. This election - with voting scheduled on 23 April - has drawn extra attention with the emergence of a third political force led by superstar Vijay.
The BJP has struggled to gain a foothold in the state, where politics has long been dominated by parties that were born out of regional political movements around social justice, state autonomy and a distinct linguistic and cultural identity. Even modest gains in the state would be seen as a breakthrough for the BJP, signalling its ability to expand in southern India.
