Two Indian states to hold elections in October

Two Indian states will go to the polls in October, the election commissioner said yesterday, in a test of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's popularity after he won a clear mandate in a general election in May. The state assembly elections come after economic growth slipped to a six-year low in the April-June quarter, leading to major job losses, fuelling discontent in the countryside. Voting in the northern state of Haryana and western state of Maharashtra, home to the financial hub of Mumbai, will be on Oct 21, Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora said. Votes will be counted on Oct. 24, he said. Modi's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is in power in both of the states.