More Indians head to the polls Thursday for the second phase of staggered parliamentary elections.
Exit polls from Tuesday's first day of voting, which was held in 16 Indian states and territories, gave the lead to Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's ruling coalition. But Mr. Vajpayee downplayed chances of his Bharatiya Janata Party being able to form a government on its own, saying it looks like India is headed for another coalition.
The leader of the opposition Congress Party, Sonia Gandhi, spent Wednesday campaigning in Utter Pradesh -- India's most populous state.
Voting will take place Thursday in the tiny northeast state of Tripura. Indians will head to the polls in other areas until May 10th, and final results are expected on May 13th.
Meanwhile, in the Indian controlled part of Kashmir, suspected Islamic militants hurled a grenade at a car of a politician running for the parliamentary seat in the southern town of Pulwama. The politician was not hurt in the attack, but at least 11 bystanders were wounded.
Tuesday's voting in 16 Indian states and territories was marred by violence that claimed at least 15 lives. Most of the violence was in Jammu and Kashmir, where Muslims fighting to end India's rule over the region threatened to kill anyone trying to vote.