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NEW DELHI, April 11-- India on Thursday kicked off its seven-phase general elections which will span over a period of 39 days, with the results expected on May 23. Out of the total 545 parliamentary constituencies, 543 will witness polling ending on May 19. The rest two slots will be filled through nominations by the new government from among the Anglo-Indian community. Nearly 900 million Indians are expected to cast their ballots in over 1 million polling stations. MODI SEEKS SECOND TERM The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won a record number of 282 parliamentary seats in the last general elections in 2017. Through this year's general elections, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is seeking a second term for his government. During the past five years, the Modi government announced a series of new measures, such as "Make in India," "Clean India," and "Digital India," aimed at improving the country's image globally. Under his "Make in India" campaign, Modi attempted to invite foreign direct investments (FDIs). Through "Clean India" he vowed to make India open-defecation free by ensuring that every household had a toilet. And "Digital India" promoted innovations thereby making the country digitally empowered in technology. Speaking at a public gathering in eastern state of Bihar on Thursday, Modi said he had done some "uNPRecedented developmental works" during the past five years. | 
