India's industrial heartland of Maharashtra voted yesterday in a major test of the country's ruling Congress party, which was hoping to fend off rival Hindu nationalists and keep control of the key state.
The elections to the 288-seat state legislature were a close contest between the Congress party-led coalition and the Bharatiya Janata Party and Shiv Sena alliance of Hindu nationalists.
More than 65 million people were eligible to cast votes in the first major state polls to be held since the Congress party and its allies won a surprise victory in national elections and formed the federal government in May.
A win by the Hindu nationalists would boost the morale of the Bharatiya Janata Party, which is struggling to overcome the defeat in the national elections. Poll results will not be known until Saturday.
"It is a close fight. But we are going to win," said Kapil Sibal, a Congress party minister in the federal government, who toured Maharashtra ahead of the elections.
Opinion polls by two TV channels last week show the Congress has an edge.
A survey by ORG MARG-Headlines Today estimates the Congress and its allies to win between 165 and 175 seats out of 288 compared with 95 to 105 seats for the BJP and its allies.
Another poll commissioned by the New Delhi Television and the Indian Express newspaper gave the Congress coalition 132 seats, ahead of its rivals, but falling short of the 145-majority mark. The poll said the BJP-alliance would likely get just 111 seats.
Smaller parties and independent candidates, who may win up to 45 seats, will play a key role in the formation of the new government, said the poll, which assumes a 3 percent margin of error.
"The most likely scenario is a hung assembly where no one gets a clear majority," said Dorab Sopari-wala, a Bombay-based poll analyst.
Both alliances have pledged free electricity for farmers, more jobs, subsidized food grains, better roads and communications. For many voters, however, the promises mean nothing.
"Whoever comes to power it does not change our lives," said Pinky Parab, a vegetable vendor in Bombay. "I wish we could shape politicians with our votes," said Parab, who wouldn't disclose who she voted for.
In the city of Pune, south of Mumbai, grocery shop owner Satya Prakash Agarwal was equally disillusioned.
"Elections come and go, [and] hardly make any difference to us," Satya said.
Maharashtra's Chief Election Officer Urvinder Madan said some 12,400 federal security forces, including paramilitary troops, and 70,000 state police were called out to ensure peaceful polling. He said 15 percent of the 60,000 polling stations were in sensitive areas.
In Mumbai -- India's financial hub and the Maharashtra state capital -- some 5,200 political party workers with criminal records were detained in an attempt to prevent trouble, police said.
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