NEW DELHI: Five Indian states go to polls from next month in an exercise seen as the first real test of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s coalition and its left allies.

One — West Bengal in eastern India — has been ruled by the communists almost continually for more than two decades, while in southern Kerala, they are in the opposition.

Voting in these states, along with Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry in the south and Assam in the northeast begins on April 3 and end on May 8, an election commission statement said.

Counting of votes will begin on May 11.

Voting will be in several phases in some states except Tamil Nadu, where it will be on only one day.

Elections are often held in phases in India to curtail poll violence, which is rampant. The process allows security forces to be moved from one area to another.

The highlight of the elections will be the performance of the left parties who provide critical support to Singh’s coalition.

“These elections are the first real test for Singh as this is the first time his allies, the communists, are pitted against the ruling Congress party,” said psephologist Yashwant Deshmukh.

In Kerala and West Bengal, the Congress and its left allies in New Delhi, are the main competitors.

“Though the poll issues would be local like roads, water and power, Singh has to see the results don’t affect the equations in his coalition. If the left loses in West Bengal and Kerala, which is unlikely, it could mean a countdown for him,” he said, adding the communists would blame the government for their loss.—Reuters