MILLIONS of voters across 93 constituencies in India cast ballots today as Prime Minister Narendra Modi ramped up his polarising rhetoric against the country’s Muslim minority.

During incendiary speeches at recent campaign rallies, Mr Modi has referred to Muslims as “infiltrators” who “have too many children,” referring to a Hindu-nationalist trope that Muslims produce more children with the aim of outnumbering Hindus in India.

He has also accused the rival Indian National Congress party of scheming to “loot” wealth from the country's Hindus and redistribute it among Muslims, who comprise 14 per cent of India’s more than 1.4 billion people.

Tuesday’s vote, the third round of a seven-phase national election, had crucial seats up for grabs in states including Karnataka, Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh. 

Most polls predict a win for Mr Modi and his Bharatiya Janata Party, which is up against a broad opposition alliance including the Congress, the Communist Party of India and Communist Party of India-Marxist and a number of powerful regional parties.

The staggered election will run until June 1 and votes will be counted on June 4.

Mr Modi, who voted in western Ahmedabad city today, had kicked off his campaign with a focus on economic progress, promising he would make India a developed nation by 2047. 

But in recent weeks, he and the ruling BJP have doubled down heavily on their extremist rhetoric. 

Though India has one of the fastest growing economies in the world, it is experiencing high unemployment, inflation, corruption and low agricultural prices which have driven two years of farmers’ protests, with some analysts saying Mr Modi’s extremist rhetoric aims at distracting from these problems.