16 dead in India election hotspots

A string of bomb explosions and deadly clashes marred the polls, mostly in troubled northeastern Assam state and in West Bengal. Nearly 130 million people were eligible to vote in 823 districts in Assam, West Bengal, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry states. Exit polls conducted for the state-run Doordarshan and the private Zee News networks predicted that Sonia Gandhi's Congress party would sweep the elections in the southern state of Kerala. The party was anticipated to win close to a majority in Assam.