Vajpayee-- one of over 107 million people eligible to take part in this stage-- cast his vote in his constituency, Lucknow.

But less than 2 percent of voters turned out in Indian-administered Kashmir where violence marred the voting.

Terrorist violence in Kashmir and clashes between rivals groups in Bihar claimed three lives and injured several others till afternoon.

Suspected Islamic militants exploded a grenade outside a polling station in Anantnag, in Indian-administered Kashmir, killing one person and injuring three others. A second grenade exploded in a polling station in Bijbehara-- part of the same constituency-- injuring five policemen and three civilians.

One person died when rival groups in Bihar clashed while stray incidents of violence were also reported from Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan.

However, the fourth of five rounds, was largely peaceful as the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) struggles to win a majority in the 545-seat lower house.

"We should get 272 seats very comfortably. I am confident about that," said the 79-year-old premier.

His close aide Pramod Mahajan predicted Vajpayee would defeat challenger Ram Jethmalani, a left-leaning lawyer who was part of the premier's peace bid in Kashmir, by a wider margin than in the last election in 1999 when the premier defeated his closest rival by 118,000 votes.

But while surveys show a comfortable lead for Vajpayee in Lucknow, exit polls from the first three rounds of voting have shown the main opposition Congress party narrowing the gap.

"I see no difficulties ... because I don't know how they are making such predictions," Vajpayee said.

The prime minister called the election early, hoping a bumper harvest and peace moves with Pakistan would win his coalition a new five-year term.

"Now cricket is being played, not war," Vajpayee said in a speech Tuesday, referring to the government allowing the national cricket team to play a full tour in Pakistan for the first time in 14 years.

But projections based on opinion and exit polls in the first phases of voting suggest no bloc would win outright control of parliament.

If his National Democratic Alliance does not win enough seats to form a majority government it would have to draw more small parties into the coalition, making it less stable.

"I am not nervous" about exit polls, Vajpayee told reporters before voting. He displayed the ink on his finger that proved he had voted and flashed a V for victory sign.

The opposition objects to the pro-Hindu agenda of Vajpayee's Bharatiya Janata Party and argues that the government's drive to boost prosperity has been limited to cities.