(Bloomberg) -- Each day, Bloomberg journalists take you across a selection of towns and cities as they gear up for the big vote.

Hi, I am Advait Palepu and I write about India’s consumer and health sectors. I come from Hyderabad, a diverse historical city and capital of Telangana, India’s newest state. The province is the best shot for Narendra Modi to fulfill his aspirations of winning over southern India. Home to technology and pharmaceutical majors, the state’s politics has been dominated by the regional Bharat Rashtra Samithi — which spearheaded Telengana’s separation from the erstwhile Andhra Pradesh — and the Congress party that currently forms the state government. Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party is trying to make inroads citing corrupt rivals, and is riding on its right wing Hindutva politics. Telangana, one of India’s most indebted states, is trying to boost the manufacturing sector and has been wooing multinational firms including Tesla, Apple and Boeing to set up operations here.

Top Stories

Narendra Modi alleged that the main opposition party received illegal cash from billionaires Mukesh Ambani and Gautam Adani to fund its election campaign, a surprising attack that comes in the middle of a heated voting battle. Congress’s Gandhi has consistently questioned Modi’s links with the tycoons.  

Read more:

  • Modi Is Winning Over Indian Women to Grow Majority for Next Term
  • India Growth Can Top 6.5% for Decade, Economic Adviser Says

Join us on Friday for a special online event, where Menaka Doshi — author of our weekly India Edition newsletter — talks to Hiren Dasani, Goldman Sachs’ co-head of emerging markets equities and lead portfolio manager of India equity strategies, Sonal Varma, chief economist for India and Asia ex-Japan at Nomura and Suyash Rai, deputy director and fellow at Carnegie India, on how the elections will affect the investment case for India. Register here

Campaign Trail

The Congress party countered Narendra Modi’s allegations over getting funds from Ambani and Adani, saying that the Prime Minister has given contracts worth 4 trillion rupees ($47.9 billion) to his cronies in return for their donations.

Global Media

CNN reported about a police investigation against BJP’s senior leader B.Y. Vijayendra over a campaign video targeting Muslims.

Reuters reported about BJP’s strategy for winning more than 400 seats. These include enlisting celebrity candidates, making an assault on the opposition’s southern strongholds and exploiting the Hindu electorate. 

Who Votes This Week?

India’s mammoth election runs through June 1, with counting scheduled for June 4. This map from the Election Commission of India shows which constituencies vote when.

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This story was produced with the assistance of Bloomberg Automation.

--With assistance from Supriya Batra.

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