Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is rallying his nationalist base ahead of the world's biggest election, which starts on Thursday.
A fire swept through a hotel in New Delhi early on Tuesday, killing nine people, the fire brigade said.
India's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party was in a close fight with the main opposition in an election in the western state of Gujarat.
The Indian capital declared a pollution emergency as a toxic smog hung over the city and air quality worsened by the hour.