write about the 2019 election campaign in india
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Indians in 20 states and union territories cast their ballots in 91 constituencies.
The seven-phase vote to elect a new lower house of parliament will continue until 19 May. Counting day is 23 May.
With 900 million eligible voters across the country, this is the largest election ever seen.
Some observers have billed the vote as the most important in decades and the tone of the campaign has been acrimonious.
Mr Modi's Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won a historic landslide in the last elections in 2014. He stakes his claim to lead India on a tough image and remains the governing BJP's main vote-getter.
But critics say his promises of economic growth and job creation haven't met expectations, and India has become more religiously polarised under his leadership.
As it happened: First day of voting
The BJP faces challenges from strong regional parties and a resurgent Congress party, led by Rahul Gandhi. Mr Gandhi's father, grandmother and great-grandfather were all Indian prime ministers. His sister, Priyanka Gandhi, formally launched her political career in January.