NEW DELHI: From the mountains of the north to the sweltering backstreets of Bangalore, in the south, millions of voters queued up on Tuesday to make their mark in what is billed as the world's biggest event - India's elections.
Young and old, men and women joined the crowds heading to 188,000 polling stations scattered across the country's deserts, mountains and cities with the aid of elephants, horses, boats and helicopters.
While some voters braved sporadic violence in the diverse country's numerous troublespots, for most the biggest challenge was keeping cool while waiting in blazing heat for their turn to exercise their franchise.
Others struggled with baffling new technology, as they confronted voting machines being used in a national election for the first time in India. With temperatures in Gujarat and Bihar states hitting 44 degrees Centigrade, authorities ensured water, rehydration salts and first aid kits were available to treat victims of heatstroke.
Earthen pots filled with cold water were posted outside polling booths, with attendants on hand to keep voters refreshed, according to Bihar officials. Rest rooms were also readied for anyone overcome by the soaring temperatures.
Taking their turns to cast their ballot, voters had their identities checked and fingers daubed with indelible ink before they were allowed to use the push-button voting machines.
"It was real fun, this was the first time I used the voting machine," an unidentified first-time voter from Bihar state told the Zee news channel. Posters in English and vernacular languages were seen pasted on the walls of polling booths across India explaining the intricacies of using the machines.
Many old timers found the new technology baffling, asking for help, but officials said the machines were well received by most. Some 175 million of India's 670 million eligible voters went to the polls on Tuesday to decide the fate of 1,103 candidates in 140 constituencies.
Polls in other areas will be held on four other dates, ending on May 10. Results are due on May 13. In occupied Kashmir, gaudily dressed women outnumbered men at the start of polling in centres in Jammu.
A ceasefire by Indian and Pakistani troops, which has been in place since Nov 26, has brought a measure of peace to the held state, which voters relished as they gathered outside polling stations. "For the first time since 1999 we have no fear from the Pakistani gunners," said Darshan Singh, resident of Suchetgarh, 27 kilometres from Jammu.
"In 1999 we were afraid of the intermittent heavy firing from Pakistani troops." Farooq Ahmed, a senior police official in Jammu, said polling stations situated close to the Line of Control witnessed a better turnout than the ones in the towns.
"The ceasefire has been the main factor behind voters' enthusiasm in all border belts - Poonch, Rajouri, Akhnoor, R.S.Pora and Samba," he said. Nevertheless, election day violence across India, including an incident in occupied Kashmir, claimed the lives of 16 people.
In southern Karnataka state, whose capital is the tech-savvy Bangalore, software engineers rubbed shoulders with labourers as they queued to vote in polling stations set up in government-run schools and offices. -AFP