What鈥檚 at stake in India鈥檚 election?
Will the world's largest democratic exercise put India on a new path?
Battle lines have been drawn, alliances are being firmed up, and the electoral machine has kicked into action. With over 900 million eligible voters, the 2019 parliamentary elections in India will be the biggest exercise of democracy in the world. Voting will begin on 11 April and will be held in seven stages across India鈥檚 29 states.
Five years ago, the Hindu nationalist BJP won its first ever landslide victory, but can Narendra Modi鈥檚 party win again this time? The BJP says it is the party of economic success and national security, but it has also been widely accused of unleashing ethnic tensions and restricting human rights. The main opposition Congress party has accused the BJP of destroying India鈥檚 secular ideals, and say this vote is a battle for India鈥檚 soul. So what is at stake in India鈥檚 election? Ritula Shah is joined by a panel to discuss the challenges and choices facing India in this election year.
Photo: Boy holding an Indian flag. Crediti: Saikat Paul/Pacific Press/LightRocket/Getty Images)
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Contributors
Sunil Khilnani听-听author of The Idea of India and Incarnations: A History of India in Fifty Lives听
Reetika Khera -听Associate Professor at the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad
Dr Anand Arya听- Vice president of the UK chapter of the Overseas Friends of the BJP
Also featuring
Nalin Kholi -听 Spokesman for BJP
MV Rajeev Gowda -听Spokesman for Indian National Congress
Sangeeta Mahapatra -听GIGA Institute of Asian Studies in Hamburg, Germany
Broadcasts
- Fri 29 Mar 2019 09:06GMT大象传媒 World Service
- Sat 30 Mar 2019 00:06GMT大象传媒 World Service
- Sat 30 Mar 2019 04:06GMT大象传媒 World Service
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The Real Story
Global experts and decision makers discuss, debate and analyse a key news story.
