NEW DELHI, 21 April 2004 — Up to 100 million people voted yesterday as India began the world’s largest election. The first phase of elections to 140 of the 545-member Lok Sabha, or lower house of Parliament, was marked by a moderate turnout of voters and several incidents of violence in which 16 people were killed.

Undaunted by the summer heat and braving threats of violence, around 60 percent of the 178 million people cast their votes in 13 states and three federally administered territories.

“By and large, things were under control. So far it has been a relatively peaceful poll,” Deputy Election Commissioner A.N. Jha said.

More than 670 million people can vote through May 10, with the results due to be announced three days later.

Exit polls run by television networks said Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee’s Hindu fundamentalist Bharatiya Janata Party and its allies remained on top in the seats contested yesterday but may have lost ground.

Sahara TV said the BJP-led coalition was likely to take 82 out of 140 seats contested yesterday. The tally was down slightly from the coalition’s 1999 showing of 88 seats but well ahead of the opposition Congress party and allies who were seen winning 55 seats, Sahara Television said.

Star TV gave the ruling coalition 78 seats out of the 140 seats, and also predicted Congress and allies would win 55 seats.

But exit polls in the past have proven wide off the mark as many Indians do not reveal their choice.

A party needs a simple majority of 273 seats in the Lok Sabha to rule.

Of the 16 people killed, four died in Kashmir including a journalist killed with her taxi driver when their car hit a land mine. Police also reported ambushes and bombings by Maoist rebels in the insurgency-hit states of Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Chattisgarh and Jharkhand and by tribal insurgents in far eastern Manipur state.

In Jharkhand, activists threw stones at the car of Foreign Minister Yashwant Sinha who witnessed attempted vote-rigging in his Hazaribagh constituency. Sinha escaped injury.

While polling in 11 out of 40 seats in Bihar was held, 24 of the 48 constituencies held elections in Maharashtra, 11 of 21 seats in Orissa, 21 of 42 in Andhra Pradesh, 15 of 28 in Karnataka, six of 14 in Assam and six out of 14 seats in Jharkhand. Two constituencies had elections in Meghalaya and one each in Manipur, Mizoram, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Dadara and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu. Voting in the riot-scarred western state of Gujarat was held in all the 26 constituencies.