Polling underway in Indian states amid COVID-19 surge

NEW DELHI

Polling is underway in four Indian states and a federal territory on Tuesday as it struggles to contain the spread of COVID-19.

The phase-wise polling is being held for 475 of the total 824 assembly constituencies in in four states -- Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal -- and the union territory of Puducherry. The results will be declared on May 2.

Ahead of the voting, Prime Minister Narendra Modi asked the people, particularly youngsters, "to vote in record numbers." The elections are seen as crucial for his Bharatiya Janata Party to gain a foothold in West Bengal, and south.

The vote comes as coronavirus cases in India are rising. With nearly 97,000 new coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours, the overall tally in the South Asian country has risen to 12.68 million, including 165,547 related deaths. It reported a record 100,000 infections on Monday.

Authorities have announced strict restrictions to stem the tide. The government in the capital New Delhi announced a night curfew from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. until April 30.

The western Maharashtra government state has also introduced a nighttime curfew and a weekend lockdown.

India is currently the third most affected country in the world in terms of infections after the US and Brazil.

It launched its vaccination drive on Jan. 16. The country's drugs regulator has approved two vaccines – Oxford-AstraZeneca and the locally developed Covaxin. More than 70 million people have received their first dose, while over 10 million people have been fully vaccinated.