India goes to polls from April 11

NEW DELHI, Mar 10 (Reuters): India will hold a general election in seven stages starting on April 11, the election commission said on Sunday, in what will be the world's biggest democratic exercise with Prime Minister Narendra Modi likely to benefit from tension with Pakistan.
Votes will be counted on May 23, he said.
Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora told reporters that about 900 million voters would be eligible for the polls, about 15 million between the ages of 18 and 19 years.
Until a few weeks ago, a shortage of jobs and weak farm prices were seen as denting Modi's popularity.
But pollsters say his ruling Hindu-nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has a clear advantage over opposition parties after India's armed forces clashed with those of arch rival Pakistan last month, triggering a wave of patriotic fervor across the country of 1.3 billion.
"For the first time I will vote for Narendra Modi, because I like what he has done against Pakistan," said Anjali Tivari as she was picking up her son from school in Mumbai.
"I'm impressed. He gave the right answer to Pakistan."
Modi touted his government's achievements in a series of tweets after the announcement.
"I hope this election witnesses a historic turnout. I particularly call upon first time voters to vote in record numbers," Modi tweeted.