▶ Millions of Indians are voting in a sixweek election that’s a referendum on Hindu nationalist Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

From remote states tucked in the Himalayan mountains in the north to the deep south, millions of Indians lined up at polling booths Friday at the start of a phased election in which the country’s populist prime minister, Narendra Modi, is widely seen as the frontrunner.

The election pits Modi’s BJP or Bharatiya Janata Party against the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance, a coalition of more than two dozen opposition parties, which also goes by its acronym INDIA. The opposition hopes to loosen Modi’s decadelong grip on power with promises to address issues such as joblessness and economic distress among the poor.

On Friday, voters chose representatives for 102 seats in the lower house of parliament, the first stage in a mammoth election that is being held in seven phases over six weeks to choose 543 lawmakers.

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