India is in the fifth phase of voting in an election that continues until June 4. Although the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, in power since 2014, is expected to win a third straight term, an alliance of 27 opposition parties wants to chip away at its majority in regions where the party has failed to gain a foothold: namely, the south.

Gvanvapi mosque in the holy city of Varanasi is one of hundreds of mosques and other Muslim sites being targeted by Hindu nationalist groups in India. The petitioners say they want to restore previously destroyed Hindu holy sites, but some historians accuse the groups of aggressively attempting to rewrite history.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is well-placed to return to power in elections that begin on Friday, with opinion polls putting him and his Bharatiya Janata Party in the lead, ahead of an opposition alliance.

There were 41 incidents of communal tension and violence in Maharashtra between January and October 2023, according to India Hate Lab, a Washington-based research group. The group is expecting a huge rise in hate speech events during India's upcoming general elections, which run April 19 to June 4.

Farmers in India have gathered at the border between the northern states of Haryana and Punjab to protest what they see as the government's lack of action to resolve their key demands, especially guaranteed minimum crop prices and a doubling of their incomes.

With no clear winner and both Imran Khan and Nawaz Sharif claiming victory, its unclear who will form Pakistan's next government following an election that many claimed was marred by meddling from the countrys powerful military. Political wrangling over a coalition is expected to continue for days as the country is plunged into a political crisis, analysts said.

One political analyst says that sidelining former prime minister Imran Khan, Pakistan's most popular politician, in this week's election 'has trumped concern for the country's image and democracy.'