From a distance, the scene is as colourful as any in India.

Men dressed as Hindu deities, with tinsel crowns and tridents, wait for their turn on the stage. Teenagers saunter by trucks carrying effigies of mythological heroes and listen to speeches. Yet a closer look reveals elements that are less picturesque. The speakers are repeating well-worn slogans common among hardline elements of India's religious right. The young men are armed, some with ceremonial swords of little use, but others with combat knives and heavy-bladed hatchets. "This is our tradition," one says. "We are showing that we, too, are strong." The young men are from the Bajrang Dal, a youth organisation dedicated to advancing a rigorous and revivalist version of Hinduism. The meeting last week in Delhi, the capital, was organised to celebrate the birthday of Hanuman, the monkey god. "The others are always showing their strength. Now it's our turn," said Nala Kumar Thakur, an 18year-old student from south Delhi, demonstrating slashing strokes with his sabre. "All Hindus should know that their culture is under threat." The teenagers of Bajrang Dal believe they may soon have something else to celebrate. With the Indian election moving into its final weeks the process of balloting 815 million eligible voters takes nearly two months their favoured candidate appears set to take power in this troubled emerging economic power of 1.2 billion people.

Narendra Modi. Photograph: Diptendu Dutta/AFP

That candidate is Narendra Modi, the 63-year-old who leads the opposition Bharatiya Janata party (BJP). The Bajrang Dal is among the most militant of the many nationalist and religious organisations active in India that come under the umbrella of the Sangh Parivar (family of associations), which has been linked to a variety of violent acts over the decades. The BJP is perhaps the most moderate. Positioned somewhere between the two is the vast Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS National Volunteer Association), which Modi joined around the age of 10. Many in India, and some observers overseas, are concerned by the possibility that an RSS veteran might soon run the country. Critics say Modi stood by when 1,000 people, mainly Muslims, died in

sectarian violence in the western state of Gujarat in 2002, shortly after he became chief minister there, and claim fears for communal harmony are thus well founded. Last week 60 Bollywood personalities called on their countrymen to vote for the incumbent Congress party, despite its reputation for corruption and economic mismanagement after 10 years in power, " to protect our country's secular foundation". In a letter to the Guardian others, including Indian-born artist Anish Kapoor and author Salman Rushdie, argued that a Modi win would threaten the pluralism enshrined in the Indian constitution.

Indians have voted in the first phase of a general election which pits the governing Congress party against the main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party. The nine-phase vote got under way in the north-eastern states of Assam and Tripura and will conclude on 12 May. Votes will be counted on 16 May. More than 814 million Indians are eligible to vote in a poll dominated by corruption and high inflation. An anti-corruption party the AAP offers another challenge to the main parties. The Aam Aadmi (Common Man's) Party) secured a spectacular result in local polls in Delhi last autumn and is fielding candidates in all of parliament's 543 elected seats.
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Mr Modi represents a return to personalised politics, not seen in India since the days of Indira Gandhi in the 1970s

Soutik BiswasIndia correspondent

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Several smaller regional parties are also in the fray and if no single party wins a clear majority, they could play a crucial role in government formation.

Brisk voting

India's marathon vote is being staggered over more than a month for security and logistical reasons. On the first day of voting, polling took place in six constituencies in two states in the north-east - five in Assam and one in Tripura.