![A polling officer helps a woman to cast her vote at a polling station in Majuli A polling officer helps a woman to cast her vote at a polling station in Majuli, a large river island in the Brahmaputra river, Jorhat district, in the northeastern Indian state of Assam, April 7, 2014.](https://api.time.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/india-general-election.jpg?quality=85&w=2400)
By TIME Photo
![A polling officer carries an electronic voting machine on his way to a polling station in Nimatighat A polling officer carries an electronic voting machine on his way to a polling station after arriving from a ferryboat in Nimatighat, Jorhat district, in the northeastern Indian state of Assam, April 5, 2014.](https://api.time.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/india-general-election-4.jpg?quality=75&w=2400)
![*** BESTPIX *** India Elections Rally An Indian family listens as Rahul Gandhi, leader of India's ruling Congress Party speaks at a rally on April 6, 2014 in New Delhi.](https://api.time.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/india-general-election-2.jpg?quality=75&w=2400)
![Supporters hold up cut-outs of the DMK party symbol with images of MK Stalin, son and heir-apparent of Karunanidhi, chief of DMK during a rally in Chennai Supporters hold up cut-outs of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam party symbol with images of M.K. Stalin, son and heir-apparent of M. Karunanidhi, chief of DMK during a rally ahead of a general election in the southern Indian city of Chennai, April 6, 2014.](https://api.time.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/india-general-election-3.jpg?quality=75&w=2400)
![India Elections Indian voters wait in queues to cast their votes during the first phase of elections in Dibrugarh, in the northeastern state of Assam, India, April 7, 2014.](https://api.time.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/india-general-election-7.jpg?quality=75&w=2400)
![A polling officer helps a woman to cast her vote at a polling station in Majuli A polling officer helps a woman to cast her vote at a polling station in Majuli, a large river island in the Brahmaputra river, Jorhat district, in the northeastern Indian state of Assam, April 7, 2014.](https://api.time.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/india-general-election.jpg?quality=75&w=2400)
![India Elections An Indian election officer applies an indelible ink mark on the finger of a woman during the first phase of elections in Dibrugarh, in the northeastern state of Assam, India, April 7, 2014.](https://api.time.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/india-general-election-8.jpg?quality=75&w=2400)
![India Daily Life Indian children play at Krishna nagar village on the outskirts of Allahabad, India, April 7, 2014.](https://api.time.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/india-general-election-1.jpg?quality=75&w=2400)
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