VARANASI, India, (Reuters) -India holds the first  stage of a staggered general election yesterday just as the  economy is hit by a slowdown and with polls showing the main  national parties may struggle to form a stable coalition.

The ruling Congress party-led coalition appears to lead  against an alliance headed by the Hindu-nationalist Bharatiya  Janata Party, but both may need the support of a host of  smaller regional parties to win office.

More than 140 million people can vote today in polls  that cover some of India’s poorest and most insurgency-ridden  states.

The government has deployed more than two million security  personnel across India as Maoist rebels have stepped up attacks  on forces and threatened voters. New Delhi said it was also on  heightened alert for militant infiltrations from Pakistan.

The outcome will be known on May 16 after five stages.  India’s elections are notoriously hard to predict and polls  have been wrong in the past. Exit polls are banned for the  election.

In Varanasi, the northern holy town known for its Hindu  gurus, political party offices were teaming with supporters  making last minute preparations.

Banners and bunting fluttered from rooftops and many  activists were seen moving around in cars and on motorbikes  plastered with their party symbols and mugshots of their  candidates.

“There is a lot of excitement over tomorrow’s voting. The  leaders come to see us once in five years, they have come this  time as well,” said Lal Babu Yadav, a farm hand in Mahanpur in  Uttar Pradesh state.   An array of castes, religions and ethnicities add up to the  714 million people eligible to vote in the world’s largest  democratic exercise, where ancient ties still play a large role  at the ballot box.

The centre-left Congress is wooing voters with populist  measures such as food subsidies and farm loan waivers in a  country were hundreds of millions live below the poverty line.

The BJP accuses its main rival of poor governance and being  weak on security, after a string of militant attacks last year  culminated in a rampage in Mumbai by Islamist gunmen that  killed 166 people and hiked tensions with nuclear Pakistan.