India’s most populous state, Uttar Pradesh, has begun voting in the first of a series of local elections that will be a test of the popularity of the prime minister, Narendra Modi, and his ruling party.
With a population almost as big as that of Brazil, keeping power in the bellwether state would bolster the Bharatiya Janata party (BJP) in its claim for a third successive victory at nationwide parliamentary polls due by 2024.
In Vrindavan, a Hindu holy city about 100 miles (160km) south of India’s capital, New Delhi, saffron-clad monks bundled up against the winter cold waited in line with other local people to cast their votes.
