The stage is all set ahead of the nearly two-month-long Indian parliamentary elections to begin on Friday amidst tight security measures.

This first leg will cover 102 out of the total 543 constituencies and the polls indicate that Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led BJP is favoured to retain power.

The constituencies of Uttar Pradesh, Assam, Chhattisgarh, Bihar, Jammu and Kashmir, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Manipur, Rajasthan and West Bengal will go to the polls in the opening phase.

The high-voltage campaign for the first phase of the Lok Sabha election ended on Wednesday as the top leaders of BJP-led NDA and the opposition INDIA bloc made a last-ditch effort to woo voters.

With nearly a billion eligible voters, India is set off the world’s largest electoral exercise on Friday.

The country has more than 2,500 political parties but just 10 of those hold 86 percent of all seats in the Lok Sabha election.

The second phase of polling for 89 seats in 13 states and union territories will be held on 26 April.

The counting of votes will begin on 4 June after polling in all seven phases.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi helmed BJP's campaign with whirlwind tours of several constituencies, pitching the ‘Modi ki guarantee’ against the Congress's 'Nyay' (social justice) planks.

Modi explained why he is seeking a third successive tenure in office since becoming Prime Minister for the first time in May 2014.

Addressing an election rally in Assam’s Nalbari on Wednesday, Modi told the voters, “In 2014, Modi came to you with hope. In 2019, when Modi came with trust and in 2024, Modi has come to you with a guarantee, Modi’s guarantee, a guarantee of fulfilling guarantees.”

With Nalbari having a sisable Muslim population, Modi said the law passed by his government criminalising triple talaq has “liberated Muslim women benefitting not only them but also their families.”

BJP focused its attack on issues like corruption, dynasty politics of Congress and alleged insults to the Constitution and Hinduism while opposition leaders centred their campaign on the issue of electoral bonds, alleged misuse of probe agencies, inflation, and unemployment.

BJP's manifesto, named "Modi ki Guarantee", is largely built on the government's existing welfare schemes targeted at different sections of society, while reiterating its commitment to one-nation-one-election and Uniform Civil Code.

Main opposition Congress, on the other hand, focused on five "pillars of justice" and 25 guarantees under them.

The electoral fate of eight cabinet colleagues of Modi will be decided in the first phase of polling. These include Nitin Gadkari, Kiren Rijiju, Sarbanada Sonowal, Jitendra Singh, Bhupendra Yadav, Arjun Ram Meghwal and L Murugan.