Opposition BJP favoured as India votes

The BJP leader quickly shot back, saying that annual farm sector growth in the state was 11 per cent, compared to three per cent in the country as a whole.

If Modi has a weakness that can be exploited it is his role 12 years ago in the infamous Hindu-Muslim riots in Gujarat in which more than 1000 people died. His detractors claimed the then first-term Chief Minister did nothing to stop the deadly clashes and even colluded in them. While subsequent investigations cleared Modi of the latter charge, the mud has stuck and he remains subject to a ban on entering the United States – a sanction that will have to be lifted should he become Prime Minister.

On the other hand Gandhi carries with him the burden of incumbency, and while Singh's administration received good marks for its economic management in its early years, it has more recently become marred in a series of scandals and allegations of mismanagement.

Chief among these are charges of bribery involving several senior Government officials and the British-Italian helicopter manufacturer AgustaWestland over the purchase of a fleet of VIP helicopters. Often referred to as Choppergate, the scandal has sucked in some of the leading names in the Congress Party and resulted in the cancellation of the contract in January.

The opposition has also targeted the Government's handling of a 2012 incident in which two marines on board an Italian oil tanker off the coast of Kerala shot and killed two fishermen in a nearby trawler believing them to be pirates.

The incident sparked a diplomatic row between the two countries with the Italian Government complaining about lengthy delays in settling the matter while keeping the marines in detention. More than two years after the incident it remains unresolved.

Cynics argue that this is nothing new in Indian politics, pointing to a think tank survey which claims that 18 per cent of declared candidates face criminal charges including rape, murder and extortion. While some of the allegations may be the result of smear campaigns by political opponents and corrupt police, the findings are still disturbing.

All three major political parties have declared they want to see an end to India's endemic corruption – the AAP has made it the central point of its platform – but of all the many promises made during the campaign, this may prove the hardest to keep.