Narendra Modi votes in India polls

Narendra Modi, who is ahead in all the opinion polls and tipped to be India's next prime minister, has voted in his home state of Gujarat in the seventh phase of the general election.

He cast his vote at a school in the city of Ahmedabad. All 26 seats are up for grabs in the state.

Modi was greeted by cheering crowds as he arrived at the polling station.

Andhra Pradesh also goes to the polls on Wednesday for the last time as a united state before it is divided.

It is among nine states and union territories sending 139 million eligible voters to make their choice between some 1,300 candidates contesting 89 seats on Wednesday.

India's general election, with 814 million eligible voters, is the world's biggest exercise in democracy and the governing Congress party is battling the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for power.