Long queues formed outside polling stations in eight northern states electing the final 59 candidates to India's 543-seat lower house. Heavy security was imposed in West Bengal, which has seen street battles between followers of Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and opposition groups. One group attacked a makeshift BJP office in the city and police also cleared other activists blocking polling stations. The conservative BJP has campaigned aggressively on Modi's strongman image and played up recent cross-border air strikes against Pakistan. Indian media widely used images showing him seated on a bed inside a cave in the country's north.

Source: The Nation Bangkok May 19, 2019 09:33 UTC