Kolkata. Significant state-level elections begin in India on Thursday. The contests in West Bengal and Tamil Nadu, in particular, are being viewed with high importance in political circles.For the BJP, these elections are a test to expand its reach in contested regions, while for opposition parties, they are an opportunity to gauge whether they can challenge the BJP's dominance. Voting has already taken place in Kerala, Assam, and Puducherry.The toughest battle is in West Bengal, where voting is taking place for 152 seats across 16 districts in the first phase. There are 1,478 candidates in the fray in this phase....