NEW DELHI, April 20: At least 19 people were killed in poll-related violence in the first phase of India's five-stage parliamentary election on Tuesday in which the principal contenders , Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee's National Democratic Alliance and the Congress Party-led opposition, claimed crucial gains.

Maoist rebels targeted polling booths in the northern Bihar and Jharkhand states, where they set landmine traps to deter voters. In Jammu and Kashmir several grenade attacks were reported in Baramula leading to the death of Asiya Nabi, a woman journalist and social activist. There were casualties elsewhere too.

Fears of more violence as the elections progress towards the final vote on May 10, were evident when Ms Priyanka Gandhi got the Election Commission to stall expected muscling in Rae Bareilly from where her mother and Congress president Sonia Gandhi is a candidate. The constituency goes to polls on Monday.

In Jharkhand, Foreign Minister Yashwant Sinha escaped unhurt when his motorcade was attacked by a group who broke windows of his car. It was not clear if Maoist rebels active in the area were responsible. The perceptibly tentative exit polls were back in business as were the more reliable punters in the 'satta bazaar', who predicted close results.

Early analyses on news channels on TV offered a wide range of possibilities, but generally showed the Congress gaining against the NDA, which nevertheless kept its overall lead.

Sahara TV's exit poll showed the Hindu revivalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led NDA bagging 82 seats out of 140 constituencies that went to polls on Tuesday. Congress was seen getting 55, and others 3. This represents a gain of nine for the Congress and a loss of five seats for the NDA.

Another news channel, Star TV, also gave 78 seats to BJP and its allies, while Congress and its allies got 55 seats. The usually pro-government Aaj Tak gave BJP a big lead with 93 seats out of the 140 seats, while Congress was seen getting 44 seats only.

More than half of the 175 million voters cast their ballot in the first phase of the polls on Tuesday. Newspapers published pictures of elephants carting cargoes of electronic voting machines and other assorted election stationary in India's far eastern states.

More than 4,000 candidates and 700 parties are competing for 543 parliament seats and places in four state assemblies. In reality, the choice comes down to two people: 79-year-old Mr Vajpayee or Italian-born Sonia Gandhi, 57, leader of the main opposition party and widow of former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi.

Both have promised to oversee economic growth of 10 per cent, make investment easier for foreign companies and end poverty by 2015 for India's one billion people, two-fifths of whom live on less than a dollar a day.

The international community has been watching the polls. Reports said a British diplomat visited several sensitive districts in Godhra, where the train massacre had occurred on Feb 27, 2002, leading to a statewide pogrom of Muslims.

The reports said Mr Peter Holland, first political secretary in British High Commission in India, visited sensitive Polan Bazar area and other localities in Godhra and met people taking part in the first phase of Lok Sabha polls.

Mr Holland visited nearly 50 booths in Godhra, Halol, Kalol and surrounding villages in eastern Gujarat and inquired from officials about the polling and the electronic voting machines.

Another report from Gujarat said Muslim voters in the state were by and large avoided by both the Congress and the ruling BJP. "They are not going to vote for us, so why bother?" said one BJP activist.