Narendra Modi's Varanasi nomination draws huge crowds
Mumbai: India's financial capital votes in fourth phase
(3 days later)
India has entered full election mode: voting began on 11 April, and the final ballot will be cast more than five weeks later on 19 May. Every day, the BBC will be bringing you all the latest updates on the twists and turns of the world's largest democracy.
India has entered full election mode: voting began on 11 April, and the final ballot will be cast more than five weeks later on 19 May. Every day, the BBC will be bringing you all the latest updates on the twists and turns of the world's largest democracy.
Narendra Modi files his nomination in Varanasi
Voting opens in fourth phase
What happened?
What happened?
India Prime Minister Narendra Modi filed his nomination on Friday amid huge crowds. He is contesting from Varanasi constituency in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh.
Voting has opened in 72 seats across India in the fourth phase of the country's marathon elections.
He travelled to the local district office in a procession of cars that stretched for several kilometres.
Polling is being held in Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Bihar, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Orissa, West Bengal, Jharkhand and Indian-administered Kashmir.
President of the governing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Amit Shah, Home Minister Rajnath Singh and several cabinet ministers joined Mr Modi on the roadshow.
India's financial and entertainment capital Mumbai is also voting in this phase. A number of Bollywood stars have already cast their ballots.
Three more phases are due be held before results are announced on 23 May.
Why does this matter?
Why does this matter?
Mr Modi won the seat in 2014 with a huge margin of more than 300,000 votes. There was speculation that opposition parties would field a common candidate to take on the prime minister in the high-profile constituency.
The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its allies won 56 out of these 72 seats in the 2014 elections.
But the main opposition Congress party and prominent regional heavyweights like the Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party failed to form a coalition. And on Thursday Congress announced its own candidate for the seat, putting an end to rumours that Priyanka Gandhi herself would run against Mr Modi.
The BJP's mission to form a government largely depends on how many seats it manages to retain in this phase.
Analysts say the triangular contest will help Mr Modi retain the seat.
Several federal ministers, including Giriraj Singh, Subhash Bhamre, SS Ahluwalia and Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, are seeking re-election in this phase.
Varanasi is strategically important because the BJP hopes that Mr Modi's campaign there will help the party repeat their thumping win in the 2014 elections when it won 71 out of 80 seats in Uttar Pradesh.
Some of Mumbai's seats are witnessing high-profile contests.
On Thursday, Priyanka Gandhi ended speculation that she would run against PM Modi
In north-central Mumbai, the BJP's Poonam Mahajan, who is the daughter of late BJP leader Pramod Mahajan, is contesting against Priya Dutt, the daughter of late Congress leader Sunil Dutt.
What happened?
Bollywood actress Urmila Matondkar is taking on the BJP's Gopal Shetty in Mumbai north constituency.
The main opposition Congress party on Thursday named Ajay Rai to take on Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his Varanasi constituency in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh.
Controversial former student leader Kanhaiya Kumar is contesting against BJP's Giriraj Singh in Bihar's Begusarai constituency.
The announcement has ended weeks of speculation that Priyanka Gandhi, the charismatic sister of Congress chief Rahul Gandhi, was going be the party's candidate for the seat.
Mr Modi won the seat by a huge margin of more than 300,000 votes in 2014, ahead of Aam Admi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal. Mr Rai was in the third spot.
Why does this matter?
Ms Gandhi has always been considered the more popular of the Gandhi siblings with many blaming her brother's "lacklustre leadership" for a string of Congress defeats between 2014 and 2018.
In previous elections, she has campaigned in Amethi and Rae Bareli - the parliamentary constituencies of her brother and mother, Sonia Gandhi, respectively - and is held in high esteem by voters there.
But she formally joined politics only in January after she was appointed the party's general secretary for eastern part of Uttar Pradesh.
India votes 2019
India votes 2019
Many in the party were hoping that she would be a formidable challenger against Mr Modi. Ms Gandhi herself had hinted that she would contest against the PM if her party asked her to do so.
But the Congress' announcement has ended the possibility of a so-called "mega contest".
The party has gained some ground in recent state elections and Mr Gandhi's stock has risen, but Congress still faces a tough challenge to beat the BJP and regain power.
On Wednesday, Bollywood star Akshay Kumar interviews PM Modi
What happened?
Prime Minister Narendra Modi sat down with Bollywood star Akshay Kumar for a "candid" interview, where the two discussed everything - except politics.
It's unclear when the interview actually took place but it aired on the ANI television channel on Wednesday. It was filmed at the prime minister's residence in Delhi.
The "completely non-political" - as Kumar put it - conversation has led to jokes on Twitter and #ModiwthAskhay is one of the top trends in India.
Why does this matter?
It's surprising because Mr Modi is known to avoid spontaneous interactions with the media. Televised interviews have been rare; and he has not held a single press conference in his five years as prime minister.
The casual tone aside, the interview was not really freewheeling because Kumar steered clear of anything remotely political or controversial.
And it has spawned some snarky humour on Twitter.
We learnt a few new things about the otherwise reticent Mr Modi - he "enjoys" watching memes on himself; former US president Barack Obama repeatedly advised him to sleep longer; his very own remedy for a cold involves fasting for two days and putting mustard oil in his nostrils; and West Bengal chief minister and arch rival Mamata Banerjee sends him sweets and kurtas every year.
He also said he had never aspired to be prime minister; instead he wanted to join the army and "serve the nation".
One user commented on how Mr Modi appeared to have narrated his biography to Kumar considering the Election Commission had held back the release of a biopic on him during the election.
Mr Modi is, of course, hugely popular so there were also those who enjoyed the interview.
On Tuesday, Shah Rukh Khan urged fans to vote in a music video
What happened?
Well, Prime Minister Narendra Modi put out a barrage of tweets on 13 March asking famous Indians to "creatively" encourage voting.
And Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan obliged...on Monday, some five weeks later. He said he was sorry for the delay - but Mr Modi did ask for "creativity".
The Indian election kicked off on 11 April but it's so long - it's staggered over five weeks - that Khan's appeal to voters may still work.
Why is this important?
Khan is a huge celebrity in India and one of the few that did not immediately respond to Mr Modi's string of tweets in March.
So his tweet on Monday, although late, quickly made news. And Mr Modi was certainly impressed.
It's worth mentioning that the prime minister had gone all out when he tweeted at celebrities, even channelling his inner Bollywood. Our personal favourite is the tweet in which he punned on the iconic tagline from the early noughties Bollywood blockbuster Kabhi Kushi Kabhie Gham: "It's all about loving your family."
He tagged the film's two male leads, Khan and Amitabh Bachchan, and its director Karan Johar, and ended with "It's all about loving your... democracy".
On Monday, any chance of a Congress-AAP alliance was doomed...
What happened?
The main opposition Congress party named its candidates for six out of seven parliamentary seats in Delhi, ending the possibility of a coalition with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).
The AAP, which is the ruling party in the Delhi legislative assembly, and the Congress had earlier talked about forming an alliance to fight Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
But with the Congress going ahead with its list, we will now see a three-cornered contest in Delhi.
The Congress named former Delhi Chief Minister, Sheila Dikshit, as its candidate for the North East Delhi seat.
Why is this important?
The AAP and the Congress both oppose the BJP, and analysts say a coalition would have avoided the splitting of opposition votes in Delhi.
But both parties couldn't agree to a seat sharing agreement.
The first signs that their talks were failing came when Congress President Rahul Gandhi accused Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal of making a U-turn in a tweet on 15 April.
In response, Mr Kejriwal had tweeted: "What U-Turn? The talks were still on. Your tweet shows that having an alliance is not your wish. I am saddened by your comment. Today it is important to save the country from the threat of Modi-Shah [BJP chief Amit Shah]. It is unfortunate that in UP [Uttar Pradesh state] and other states you are helping Modi by splitting the anti-Modi vote."
At a rally in the northern state of Rajasthan on Sunday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi referred to India's nuclear arsenal, sparking a storm on social media.
"Pakistan keeps threatening us every now and then by saying, 'We have a nuclear button'. Even if they do, they should know that India also has one. Do they think our button is for Diwali?" the PM said. Diwali is a Hindu festival of lights and firecrackers.
India is no longer scared of "Pakistan's threats", he added.
He also attacked the main opposition Congress party, saying that they were unable to curb terrorism when they were in power. "It is the Congress that has weakened the country. The BJP, however, is in a process to strengthen it," he said.
Why is this important?
Mr Modi and the governing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have drawn flak in recent weeks for including India's recent strikes in Pakistan in their election campaign.
Earlier this month, a row erupted over a letter from retired military officers urging President Ram Nath Kovind to ensure that political parties do not use the armed forces to "further their political agendas".
Mr Modi has made national security the BJP's number one campaign plank ahead of the vote, continuously accusing the Congress of being weak on terrorism.
National security has traditionally never been an election issue in India, but some analysts say that this strategy by the BJP could help galvanise voters and boost the party's chances.
But Mr Modi's latest remarks have prompted outrage on Twitter, with many calling them "flippant" and "unfortunate".
Coverage from previous weeks:
Coverage from previous weeks:
How do you vote in the election?
How do you vote in the election?
Here's a video explaining everything that happens inside a polling station - and what happens to your vote after that:
Here's a video explaining everything that happens inside a polling station - and what happens to your vote after that:
