A voter's finger is marked with indelible ink after casting a ballot in Chennai, Tamil Nadu [Getty Images]
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Tens of millions of Indians have voted on the first day of a staggered general election that ends on 1 June.
Almost a billion people are eligible to cast their ballots in a seven-phase election to the 543-seat lower house of parliament. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), is seeking a third consecutive term.
Several key opposition parties, including the Congress, have formed an alliance in many states to take on BJP. Results will be announced on 4 June.
Key concerns include a jobs crisis, rising prices, a clampdown on dissent and opposition, and the politics of religion.
On Friday, more than 160 million voters in 21 states were eligible to vote for more than 1,600 candidates in 102 seats. With 39 seats, Tamil Nadu in southern India was the day's key battle ground state where Mr Modi's party is trying to make inroads.
The next round of voting will take place on 26 April.
Women at a polling station in Rajasthan - part of the more than 470 million women expected to vote [AFP]
A woman gets her finger inked before casting her vote in West Bengal, where ballots were cast in three seats [Reuters]
On a hot day, voters take shelter from the sun outside a polling station in Chhattisgarh [AFP]
People queue up to vote in Uttar Pradesh, India's most politically crucial state - home to 200 million people [Reuters]
A man casts his vote in Chennai, capital of Tamil Nadu, Friday's key battleground state [AFP]
Security personnel near a polling booth in West Bengal, which is voting in three seats [AFP]
A man waits outside a polling station in Jammu and Kashmir - nearly 1.5 million such stations will be used in this year's election [Getty Images]
Candidate information at a Tamil Nadu polling station. More than 2,400 parties are fielding candidates [Getty Images]
A sign featuring the logo for the regional DMK party near a polling station in Tamil Nadu [Getty Images]
An elderly woman at a polling station in West Bengal [AFP]
A voter sits on a boulder painted with a voter awareness mural in Chhattisgarh state [AFP]
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