Modi leads voting in home state Gujarat as India conducts third phase of national election [Video]

Indian prime minister Narendra Modi led the voting in the third phase of the country’s election which has been marred by inflammatory campaign speeches attacking the Muslim minority and growing acrimony among rival parties.

As many as 93 constituencies went to the polls across 11 states, including Mr Modi’s home state Gujarat as well as Karnataka, Maharashtra, Telangana and Uttar Pradesh.

Mr Modi, who has been in power for a decade, is seeking a third straight term and faces a weakended coalition of the main opposition Congress party and its powerful regional allies.

The election, which sees seven phases of voting spread over six weeks, is meant to elect 543 members of the lower house of India’s parliament called the Lok Sabha. A party or coalition needs a simple majority of 272 seats to …