Hindu ascetics lead millions of Indians in holy bath, but politics weigh

PRAYAGRAJ, India (Reuters) - Millions of pilgrims began bathing on the first official day of India's Kumbh Mela on Tuesday, the world's largest religious festival where politics play an important role ahead of a general election later this year.

During the eight-week festival at Prayagraj in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, up to 150 million people, including a million foreign visitors, are expected to bathe at the confluence of the Ganges, the Yamuna, and a mythical third river, the Saraswati.