India at the polls

(Vatican Radio) Voting is underway in India in the first stage of the world’s biggest election.
With 814 million people eligible to cast a ballot, India will vote over the next five weeks in a staggered approach made necessary by the country's vast size.

Voters will choose representatives for the 543-seat lower house of parliament.

The opposition Bharatiya Janata Party, which is promising a surge in economic growth is the main challenger to the now-governing Congress party.

Although the economy is seen as a big issue, the head of Vatican Radio’s English for India service, Father Melwin Pinto says, there are other factors in this election.

“There are other factors like the religion which is an agenda that the right wing Hindu groups have in mind which they keep pushing…” He adds that the Christian community is apprehensive about the poll.

Fr Melwin goes on to say, “its most likely that it’s going to be a coalition because as you see the situation there are many regional parties that are coming up”. If these parties, he says, make a real dent in the election they will be alliances.

Results from all 935,000 polling stations are expected on May 16. Listen to Lydia O’Kane’s interview with Fr Melwin Pinto