Six weeks, 969 million voters, 2,600 parties - Hindu nationalist Modi the favourite as India votes

Voters line up outside a polling station to vote during the first phase of the general election in Kairana, in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, India, on Friday, April 19, 2024. -- Photo: Reuters

HARIDWAR India (AFP): India began voting Friday in a six-week election with an all but assured victory for Hindu nationalist Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

A total of 969 million people are eligible to take part in the world's biggest vote -- a staggering logistical exercise that critics say follows a concerted effort to delegitimise rivals.