Modi Caught in Row as Millions Vote In India

After casting his vote in Gandhinagar, Modi flew to Bihar where he addressed a huge rally in Ujiyarpur Lok Sabha constituency calling for "a strong government in the country".

"It is certain a new government led by the BJP will be formed," he said, predicting a defeat for the Congress-led UPA government.

But before that, Modi ran into trouble with the Election Commission after he flashed a badge of the BJP's election symbol "lotus" while addressing a press conference in Gandhinagar.

Amid protests by the Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), the Election Commission ordered the Gujarat authorities to file a First Information Report against Modi and the electronic media that showed him flashing the "lotus" near the polling booth -- in violation of election laws.

All 26 Lok Sabha seats in Gujarat and all 13 in Punjab voted Thursday, taking to 21 where the election process has ended.

Punjab is witnessing some high-profile contests. The most watched clash is in Amritsar where BJP's Arun Jaitley, fighting a Lok Sabha election for the first time, is pitted against former chief minister Amarinder Singh of the Congress.

In Amethi, which is set to vote in a week from now, Congress star campaigner Priyanka Gandhi continued to campaign for party vice president and her brother Rahul Gandhi.

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