Today, Explained The mother of all elections
May 21, 2019
Ashish Malhotra, a freelance journalist from Delhi with a knack for capturing the essence of Indian elections, joins expert Irfan Nooruddin, who leads Georgetown's India Initiative. They delve into the sheer scale of India's elections, involving over 900 million voters and over 3,000 candidates. The discussion navigates the Election Commission's challenges, the role of nationalism in political loyalty, and how Modi's potential victory could reshape societal dynamics and impact minorities. A thought-provoking look into a vibrant democracy at a crossroads!
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India's Election Logistics
- India's Election Commission mobilizes 11 million officials to ensure accessible voting.
- Ballot boxes are transported by elephants and camels to remote areas, even for single voters.
Symbol-Based Ballots
- Unlike Western ballots, Indian ballots use party symbols due to widespread illiteracy.
- These symbols are colorful, everyday objects like the lotus (BJP) and the hand (Congress), but exclude religious symbols.
Goodies and Vote Buying
- Indian elections involve distributing goods, from cash to electronics, potentially raising concerns about vote buying.
- However, voters claim ballot secrecy allows them to accept gifts while voting independently, often against incumbents.