Millions of Indians due to vote

Millions of Indians are due to vote in the first round of the country's 15th general elections.Voters in 124 constituencies will be taking part in the vote. There are four other phases between it and the last phase on 13 May.More than 700 million Indians overall are eligible to vote for seats in the lower house of parliament.The incumbent Congress-led coalition government is facing a challenge from the main opposition BJP-led alliance.It is also competing against a third front of communist and regional parties in a poll that is too close to call.Results are due on 16 May and a new parliament must be in place by 2 June.The first voting takes place in constituencies spread across the country, including volatile areas in north and central India.

INDIAN ELECTION AT A GLANCE Eligible voters: 714 million Polling centres: 828,804 Voting days: 16, 23, 30 April; 7, 13 May Vote counting: 16 May Leading candidates: Manmohan Singh (Congress), LK Advani (BJP), Mayawati

States where voting takes place are Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Jammu and Kashmir, Kerala, Maharashtra, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Orissa, Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Lakshwadeep and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.More than two million security personnel are expected to be deployed, especially after a string of recent attacks by Maoist rebels who have threatened to disrupt the vote.Thousands of police and paramilitary troops have been deployed across the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, which will vote for both national and state assembly representatives.