Voting began at 8am today, with polling in 102 constituencies across the country, and will continue over the next six weeks, in seven phases, until 1 June. All the results will be counted and declared on 4 June.
The elections have been described by analysts at the most predictable polls India has held in decades, with Modi and his BJP widely assumed to win a third term in power.
While surveys have shown Modi to be India's most popular political leader by a wide margin, his opponents have accused the government of "skewing the pitch" of the election and eroding the integrity of India's democracy and electoral processes.
Critics allege that the BJP government has used tools of the state to go after and jail political opponents and undermined the independence of state institutions such as the election commission and the judiciary, charges the government denies.
The government is also accused of eroding the freedom of the press and attempting to suppress critical media. India's press freedom ranking has fallen by more than 20 places since Modi came to power in 2014.
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