India starts counting 600 million votes, Modi in pole position

Election staff members work on their computers in a vote counting centre in Ahmedabad, India, May 22, 2019. REUTERS/Amit Dave

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - India began counting about 600 million votes in its general election on Thursday, with a coalition led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's party predicted to win a clear majority. The vote count started at 0800 local time (0230 GMT), and results are likely to be clear later in the day. Reuters India election live blog: https://reut.rs/2UnGjar (Reporting by Krishna N. Das; Editing by Sanjeev Miglani)