Five Indian states go to polls by year-end in test for Modi

NEW DELHI, Oct 07 (Reuters): Five Indian states will go to the polls later this year, the country's election commissioner said on Saturday, in a test of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's popularity ahead of his re-election bid in May 2019.

The state elections come at a time when the government is on the back foot with fuel prices surging, the rupee weakening and the stock market in a tailspin.

High fuel prices and the rising cost of fertilisers are also hurting Indian farmers, who voted overwhelmingly for Modi in 2014.

A fall in rural incomes also risks damaging that support next year.

Voting in the central state of Chattisgarh will be held in two phases, on Nov 12 and 20. Madhya Pradesh state in central India and Mizoram in the country's northeast will go to the polls on Nov 28.

Voting in the western state of Rajasthan and the southern state of Telangana will be on Dec 07.

The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party or BJP, which Modi belongs to, is in power in three of the five states.

Modi said in a tweet on Saturday that the BJP has been running successful governments that have enhanced prosperity and inclusive growth in Chattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan.

"I urge the people of these states to bless BJP once again so that we can work tirelessly to build a New India," he said, while also urging voters in Mizoram and Telangana to back his party.

A Xinhua report adds: India successfully conducted a night trial of its indigenously developed surface-to-surface nuclear capable Prithvi-II missile from a test range in its eastern state of Odisha, local media said Sunday.

The trial of missile was conducted Saturday night by the strategic force command of the Indian army as part of a user trial.

"The missile having a strike range of 350 km blasted off from the launching complex-III of Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Chandipur of Odisha coast at 8:30 pm (local time)," reports quoted defence officials as saying.

"Its trajectory was closely monitored by electro-optical tracking systems, radars and other tracking systems. All the parameters within the stipulated time period were achieved during the trial," the reports said.

The single-stage 8.56-metre-long missile with a diameter of one meter is thrusted by liquid propulsion twin engines. It is capable of carrying 500 kg to 1000 kg of warheads.

Prithvi-II has been designed and developed by India's Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).

Previously, it was successfully test-fired during night time in February this year.