India's election begins as voters start heading to the polls

India's election has kicked off after millions of people took to the polls in the first phase of the world's largest election. About 969 million people have registered to vote across 44 days. Populist Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to secure a third consecutive term. The election is seen as one of the most important votes in several decades as Mr Modi's powerful right-wing BJP party seeks to secure an outright majority in India's lower house. India's elections are rolled out over six weeks consisting of seven phases, and votes of almost one billion eligible voters will be counted on June 4.