11 die as India goes to the polls

At least 11 people died and 18 were injured in violent clashes as Indians started voting today in parliament elections expected to return Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s governing coalition to power for another five years.

The massive polls in the world’s largest democracy, with more than 660 million registered voters, will be staggered in five phases over three weeks ending May 10, with vote-counting starting three days later.