India holds key state elections

Around 400,000 security personnel were deployed for the vote

Polls have closed in four Indian states where 94 million voters have been choosing new legislatures.

Some 400,000 security personnel were deployed for the vote in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chattisgarh and Delhi.

The elections were marred by sporadic violence, with five deaths reported in Madhya Pradhesh.

All four elections were a straight race between the ruling BJP and Congress, and were the last big test before national elections next year.

Congress, India's main opposition, was in power in all four states.

Votes will be counted on Thursday, with results expected the same day.

Festive air

Voting took place in nearly 600 constituencies spread across the four states with more than 5,000 candidates in the fray.

It was carried out using electronic voting machines, even in remote villages - an attempt by the country's independent election commission to prevent ballot fraud.

Congress is fighting to retain all four states

The average turnout was 56.25% - the highest being in Rajasthan and the lowest in Delhi, where just 48-50% voted.

Past elections have seen turnouts of more than 60% in the three provincial states.

Amid a festive air, queues of voters formed early on Monday outside polling stations which opened at 0800 local time (0230 GMT).

"We decided to come early - we have children to look after," said Rajbati and Shakuntala, neighbours who queued up in the Madhya Pradesh capital, Bhopal.

"We haven't eaten our breakfast or anything because our husbands said we must vote first," they told the BBC.

Violence

Election officials in Madhya Pradesh said three people were killed and at least 48 injured in various clashes between supporters of the two parties.

Two others died at a polling station in Indore, 190 kilometres north of the state capital Bhopal, in a clash between Hindus and Muslims, according to police.

In Delhi, four people were injured and six arrested after various violent incidents.

And in Chattisgarh, suspected Maoist guerrillas detonated land mines, kidnapped poll workers and stole voting machines.

Straw in the wind

The issues in these elections are mainly local but the outcome is likely to have an impact on next year's national polls, correspondents say.

The scenario is likely to be completely different at the time of the general elections, when it will be far from a straight fight between the BJP and Congress.

The presence of many regional players in the national elections will drastically change the political equation on the ground.

Issues at stake will also be more national in nature.

But this round of provincial elections still remains crucial because it was the last chance for both the BJP and the Congress to test their campaign strategy.

And while the outcome of the state elections is unlikely to influence the result of the national one, it will definitely give an indication about which way the wind is blowing, observers say.