Polls opened yesterday in West Bengal and Assam where Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is looking at making gains after a setback in local elections last year.
Elections will also be held in Tamil Nadu, Kerala and the federal territory of Puducherry next month and votes will be counted for all states on May 19, the Election Commission said.
The BJP must win state elections to gain more seats in the Rajya Sabha, the upper house of parliament, which has been blocking reforms seen as crucial to fuelling economic growth.
Most members of the upper house, which has obstructed measures such as a planned standardised goods and services tax, are indirectly elected by state legislatures.
However, the BJP will fall short of a majority in Assam after a tense anti-immigrant campaign, an opinion poll showed yesterday.
Elections in West Bengal and Assam are being held in phases.
The first phase saw brisk voting in both states.
Nearly 81% of the 4mn voters cast their ballot in three Maoist-affected districts of West Bengal covering 18 constituencies.
An Election Commission official said in New Delhi that the polling was “by and large peaceful”.
The scheduled time of polling was reduced by two hours in six insurgency-hit constituencies of West Midnapore, four in Purulia and three in Bankura districts. The elections got over at 4pm in these constituencies.
In five other constituencies of Purulia, polling ended at 6pm.
Security was tight, with several of the contested seats located in impoverished regions where Maoist rebels have long been battling government rule.
Armed police have been deployed, along with helicopters, to try to ensure polling runs smoothly, election commission officials have said.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is expected to remain in power.
But a row over the collapse last week of a flyover under construction in Kolkata, which claimed 26 lives, could cost her Trinamool Congress party some votes.
In Assam, over 78% of the 9.5mn electorate cast their ballot in the first round, officials said.
They said no violence was reported from anywhere during the first phase.
Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi seemed optimistic.
“Polling was good and it was due to the significant increase in the number of young voters. I am hopeful that the Congress will do well,” Gogoi said.
The BJP has teamed up with local parties that support indigenous rights and has pledged a crackdown on illegal immigration from Bangladesh.
The BJP is not in power in any of the states due to vote, however, and the elections are being closely watched to see if the party is able gain ground in regions where it has been traditionally weak.
Regional parties are expected to put up a strong showing in West Bengal and Tamil Nadu.
Leftwing parties and Congress are the main contenders in Kerala.
The BJP suffered humiliating defeats in elections in Delhi and Bihar last year.
Modi has been criticised for not living up to his promises of faster development, job creation and bringing key economic reforms to propel growth.