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A resounding start

Soutik Biswas | 15:05 UK time, Thursday, 16 April 2009

An Indian election officer marks the finger of a voter with ink during the first phase of polling in Varanasi on 16 AprilThere was talk of political ennui.

There was speculation that this would be a duller election - in part because of the hugely popular Indian Premier League cricket, .

But this evening's and voter enthusiasm have proved the soothsayers wrong. Braving boiling heat and , India has again .

There has been no shortage of bad blood and the campaign has at times turned personal, with senior politicians trading personal charges.

But it seems that the voter has not been turned off by the warring politicians or by the sometimes low level of debate. Ballots are being cast with a vengeance, perhaps to teach a lesson to the recalcitrant politicians.

This is just the beginning of what looks to be a very interesting and closely-fought election. If cricket is a religion in India, politics - not to mention elections - is an addiction.

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