The final round of Indian elections begins, a referendum on Modi's ten-year term

NEW DELHI (AP) — Indians on Saturday began voting in the final round of a six-week national election that is a referendum on Hindu nationalist Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 10-year term in office.

The election is considered one of the most consequential in India's history. If Modi wins, he would be only the second Indian head of state to serve a third term after Jawaharlal Nehru, the country's first prime minister.

In the seventh round of elections in 57 constituencies in seven states and one union territory, all 543 seats in the powerful lower house of parliament will be filled. Almost 970 million voters – more than 10% of the world's population – were entitled to elect a new parliament for a five-year term. More than 8,300 candidates ran for the office.

Most polls show Modi and his Bharatiya Janata Party leading the broad opposition alliance led by the Congress Party that is challenging them. Votes will be counted on Tuesday, with results expected by the end of the day.

Modi's campaign, which is seeking a third consecutive term in office, began on promises of economic progress, pledging to support the poor and make India a developed nation by 2047. But in recent weeks, his campaign has become increasingly strident as he ratcheted up his polarizing rhetoric in a series of inflammatory speeches, targeting the country's Muslim minority, which makes up 14 percent of India's 1.4 billion people.

Sheikh Saaliq and Krutika Pathi, The Associated Press