In pictures: Millions go to the polls in India
Indians voted in the crucial third phase of national elections Thursday, with millions going to the polls in the heartland states. Votes in those states are essential to the opposition Hindu nationalist party's bid to end the 10-year rule of Congress
Indian women stand in a queue outside a polling booth to cast their votes near Shahpur village in Muzaffarnagar, in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, Thursday, April 10, 2014.Altaf Qadri/The Associated Press
Kashmiris watch from a distance a rally by Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) against the ongoing general elections in Bandipora, about 75 kilometers (47 miles) from Srinagar, India, Thursday, April 10, 2014. JKLF along with several other separatist organizations have jointly appealed to the people of Jammu and Kashmir state to boycott Indian parliamentary elections. India started the world's largest election Monday where the country's 814 million electorate will vote in stages over the next five weeks.Mukhtar Khan/The Associated Press
Kashmiri schoolboys shout freedom slogans during a rally by Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) against the ongoing general elections in Bandipora, about 75 km from Srinagar, India, Thursday, April 10, 2014.Mukhtar Khan/The Associated Press
Indians stand in queues to cast their votes near Shahpur village in Muzaffarnagar, in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, Thursday, April 10, 2014.Altaf Qadri/The Associated Press
An Indian woman get her finger marked with indelible ink before casting her vote at a polling booth near Shahpur village in Muzaffarnagar, in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, Thursday, April 10, 2014.Altaf Qadri/The Associated Press
Elderly Indian Muslim women squat outside a polling booth after casting their votes near Shahpur village in Muzaffarnagar, in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, Thursday, April 10, 2014.Altaf Qadri/The Associated Press
Indian Muslim riot victims ride a tractor trolley to their native village to cast their votes, at a relief camp in Muzaffarnagar, in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, Thursday, April 10, 2014. The area witnessed one of the worst Hindu Muslim riots of recent times in which 69 people were killed and over 40,000 were rendered homeless.Altaf Qadri/The Associated Press
Indian women stand by the door of a polling booth after casting their votes near Shahpur village in Muzaffarnagar, in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, Thursday, April 10, 2014.Altaf Qadri/The Associated Press
Elderly Indian Muslims wait outside a polling booth to cast their votes near Shahpur village in Muzaffarnagar, in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, Thursday, April 10, 2014.Altaf Qadri/The Associated Press
A poster of a Hindu goddess is seen on the wall as a voter leaves after casting her at a polling station during the general election in Bhangel village on the outskirts of New Delhi April 10, 2014.ADNAN ABIDI/Reuters