The Latest | India counts votes from a mega-election seen as a referendum on Modi

NEW DELHI (AP) — India on Tuesday started counting votes from its staggered, six-week election that was seen as a referendum on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's decade in power and was expected to give him a third term in office.

Exit polls by major television channels have projected a comfortable win for the Modi’s Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party and its allies over a broad opposition alliance led by the Congress party and its main campaign leader, Rahul Gandhi.

Nearly 970 million people — more than 10% of the world’s population — were eligible to vote and turnout averaged 66%, according to official data. The tallying at counting centers in 543 constituencies could stretch well into the evening before final results are announced, though substantial leads are likely to emerge earlier.

Currently:

— What to know as votes are being counted.

— The world’s largest election, in photos.

— Voting ended Saturday in the election that's a referendum on Modi’s decade in power.

— A scorching heat wave killed 14 in India before the final phase of voting.

— Modi touts India’s roaring economy, but many feel left behind.

Here’s the latest:

WORKERS TAKE HEAT PRECAUTIONS AS VOTES ARE COUNTED IN TEMPERATURES EXPECTED TOO REACH 106F

Temperatures in the Indian capital were down Tuesday from highs in the past week of 45 degrees Celsius (113 degrees Fahrenheit), but election officials and political parties were nonetheless taking precautions as votes were being counted.

Workers carried cases of water into one air-conditioned counting station in New Delhi early in the morning in preparation, while tents outside for security personnel and others were outfitted with industrial evaporative coolers.

Temperatures in the morning hovered...