In December, Gujarat will hold elections, posing a challenge for India's ruling Congress party, which is currently experiencing its toughest test since gaining power in 2004. Election authorities have also announced that voting for a new assembly in Himachal Pradesh will take place on Nov. 14 and Dec. 19. This will be the first direct confrontation between the Congress and the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) since recent political changes related to the nuclear deal, according to political analyst Mahesh Rangarajan. The Congress, leading India's ruling coalition, is under pressure from its leftist allies who oppose a nuclear deal with the United States. The leftist allies have threatened to withdraw their support for the coalition if the government proceeds with the deal. If this scenario occurs, the government would lose its majority and early national elections could take place before 2009. Over 30 million people will cast their votes for 182 seats in two phases on Dec. 11 and Dec. 16 in Gujarat, where Chief Minister Narendra Modi's Hindu nationalist BJP has won the last three elections. Modi was previously accused of ignoring the Hindu-Muslim riots in the state five years ago, during which around 2,500 people, mostly Muslims, were killed according to human rights groups, though the official death toll is around 1,000. The riots in 2002 were sparked by a fire on a train carrying Hindu pilgrims, resulting in the deaths of 59 people. A group of Muslims was alleged to have initiated the fire.