New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday urged voters to participate in the “sacred duty of democracy” as voting begins in West Bengal and Tamil Nadu for a high-stakes election battle.In a social media post on Twitter, the Prime Minister asked young voters and women to vote in large numbers.PM Modi said, “As Tamil Nadu is voting in the assembly elections, I call on all voters to enthusiastically participate in this sacred duty of democracy. I especially urge the youth and women of Tamil Nadu to come out and vote in record numbers.”“The first phase of West Bengal Assembly elections is taking place today. I urge all citizens to participate with full force in this celebration of democracy. I especially appeal to my young friends and women of West Bengal to vote in large numbers,” PM Modi said in another post.Voting has started for all 234 seats in Tamil Nadu, while in West Bengal, voting is taking place for 152 seats in this phase.Both election-bound states, ruled by regional giants, have seen an intense, high-decibel campaign.The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) brigade, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah, has worked hard to challenge Mamata Banerjee and MK Stalin, while Rahul Gandhi and other leaders have stepped up the campaign.Taking an aggressive stance, Amit Shah said, “Congress will not even cross the double digit mark in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry.”Despite political rhetoric being at its peak, the Election Commission has tightened its monitoring. Over Rs 1,000 crore in cash, liquor, drugs and other inducements have been seized in both the states, taking the total recovered since February 26 to Rs 1,072.13 crore.Over 5.73 crore voters are set to decide the fate of 4,023 candidates in the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections on April 23, which will be marked by tight security arrangements and a sweeping crackdown on inducements by the Election Commission of India.Parties are contesting elections on 294 assembly seats in West Bengal. According to the Election Commission of India (ECI), the first phase includes 152 assembly constituencies, while the second phase includes 142 seats. A total of 1,478 candidates are in the fray in this phase.The state is going to see a high-voltage contest between the incumbent Trinamool Congress, which is trying to win power for the fourth consecutive time, and the BJP, which is aiming to form the government after a strong performance in the last elections.