BANGALORE, India: The southern Indian state of Karnataka goes to the polls Saturday in a crucial election testing the ruling Congress party's popularity amid surging food prices.

Home to 60 million people, it is the first of a raft of states to choose governments ahead of national parliamentary elections due before May 2009.

An estimated 17.2 million people are eligible to take part in Saturday's first phase vote to choose 89 state lawmakers from among 941 candidates. The remaining seats in the 224-member legislature will be filled on May 16 and 22.

About 55,000 paramilitary troops, home guard volunteers and police were set to secure polling stations, which open at 7:00 am (0130 GMT) and close at 5:00 pm, Karnataka police chief R. Sreekumar said.

Analysts and opposition politicians say the Congress, led by the Italian-born Sonia Gandhi, may be tempted to bring forward the national vote if the party gains an early political advantage by seizing power in Karnataka.

The biggest challenge in the state comes from the Hindu-nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the main opposition group, which is making its first bid to take power on its own in a southern Indian state.

"If the Congress were to do well in Karnataka, it would be one of the factors compelling early general elections," said political analyst Sandeep Shastri, based in Bangalore, the state capital and India's software hub.

"How the Congress fares in other BJP-ruled states like Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh will be another key factor," Shastri added.

The Karnataka election comes at a time when the Congress-led federal coalition government is battling to rein in inflation that has climbed to a four-year high.

Wholesale price inflation -- the most watched cost-of-living monitor -- has more than doubled since November to reach 7.61 percent, fuelled by rising food and energy prices.

"Congress makes us pay more," said a newspaper advertisement taken out by the BJP in Karnataka. "Show them the door."

The Congress-led government has urged "patience and faith" in its ability to reduce prices, having banned futures trading in basic foods and the export of staples such as rice and lentils besides cutting customs duties on other items.

"I am satisfied and I am confident in the coming months we will tame inflation and bring it back to reasonable levels," Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said during a pre-election visit to Karnataka.

The Congress has promised to provide a stable government and improve infrastructure in Karnataka, which elected a hung assembly in 2004 that led to 40 months of political instability under short-lived coalitions.

The BJP governed Karnataka for barely a week in November before partner party Janata Dal (Secular) forced an early ballot by withdrawing support.

"Only Congress can provide stable governance this state badly needs," Singh said Thursday.

Both the Congress and the BJP have appealed to the electorate for a decisive vote in their favour, although the Janata Dal remains a significant force.

They also have to contend with charismatic low-caste leader Mayawati's Bahujan Samaj Party, which rules India's most populous state of Uttar Pradesh and is contesting all Karnataka seats as it seeks a southern beachhead.

The BSP will cut into the vote of both the Congress and the BJP, Mayawati told an election meeting this week. - AFP/ac