India's biggest state holds election in key test of Modi's popularity

India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi gestures as he arrives inside the parliament premises on the first day of the budget session in New Delhi, India, January 31, 2022. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - India's most populous state of Uttar Pradesh begins voting on Thursday in the first of a series of local elections that will be a key test of the popularity of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his ruling party.

With a population almost as big as that of Brazil, keeping power in the bellwether state would give the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) a boost in its bid for a third successive victory at nationwide parliamentary polls due by 2024.