Voting Kicks Off in India's Six-Week General Election - Reports

The first phase of the Indian general election will be held across the country's 91 constituencies in 20 out of 29 Indian states on Thursday, with voters set to choose 543 members of the country's legislature, Lok Sabha.

India's general election will take place in seven stages until 19 May, with around 900 million eligible voters expected to cast ballots in the election. This year, around 84 million more citizens are eligible to vote in the general election, compared to 2014.

The lawmakers will be elected through the simple majority vote in single-mandate constituencies, meaning that the candidate who gains the largest number of votes in a given constituency gets a seat in the country's parliament.

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The ruling Indian People's Party (BJP), headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is considered to be one of the favorites in the race. Five years ago, the party secured a majority in the legislature, having secured 282 seats. The BJP's main rival is likely to be the Indian National Congress party, led by Rahul Gandhi, a member of one of the most influential political lines in the country — the Nehru-Gandhi family. In 2014, the party claimed only 44 seats in parliament.

In addition, voters will elect legislative assemblies in the states of Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Odisha and Sikkim.

The vote count will be held on 23 May, and the results are expected to be announced on the same day. A party needs to secure at least 272 seats in Lok Sabha to claim a majority.

According to Reuters, security has been increased after seven people were killed in militant attacks in Kashmir and the east of the country including a state legislator from Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ruling party.