As riot-hit Indian region votes, religious divide favours Hindu leader

A supporter wearing a mask of Hindu nationalist Narendra Modi, prime ministerial candidate for India's main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), cheers as Modi arrives to file nomination papers for the general elections in Vadodara in the western Indian state of Gujarat April 9, 2014. REUTERS/Amit Dave

MUZAFFARNAGAR, India (Reuters) - Manoj Balyan wants Narendra Modi to become India's next prime minister when results of a general election are released next month, and not because of the pro-business opposition leader's record as a credible economic manager.

Instead, the property broker and village chieftain is drawn to Modi's Hindu nationalist side, believing the candidate will strip privileges from India's minority Muslim population.