ASIA/INDIA - Elections to take place for 30 days

New Delhi (Agenzia Fides) – India has now entered the voting booths: citizens of the largest democracy are now voting for 543 members of the 15th legislature of Lokh Saba, the lower house of the Indian Parliament. The elections will last until May 13 and are divided into five turns for the 714 million voters.
The two main parties in the race are the Congress Party (now in government) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Hindu nationalist party that has gained influence in India in the last five years. However, according to surveys, neither of the two main parties will be prepared to govern on their own and, once more, the “regional parties” will play a decisive role as the two main national coalitions will form alliances with them after May 16, the day the votes are scheduled to be counted. Today, the two main candidates for Prime Minister are: Congress Party candidate Manmohan Singh (77 years old) and the BJP candidate Lalchand Kishenchand Advani (82 years old).
The themes that have been addressed in the electoral campaign have been mainly related to terrorism and the economic crisis. India is working to fight internal terrorism (as a result of the separatist groups of the Northeast and Northwest) and external threats presented by Pakistani groups, as was noted in the Bombay attack this past November.
The economic situation is also of great importance. The country has seen a great decrease in growth and the gap between rich and poor continues to widen, increasing inequality and poverty.
In light of elections, Indian Christians have also made their voice heard. The Christian communities are calling for full respect of their rights, articulated in the Constitution however denied in the practice, and recalling the democratic nature of India as a secular and pluralistic society.
More specifically, they call for: protection of life, security, and property; guarantee for social justice; assurance of their own autonomy in the government and participation in decision-making processes; advancements in gender equality and equal opportunity; economic and social development; legislation that guarantees the right to own land; rehabilitation and compensation for victims of violence; application of human rights code; measures in establishing justice, peace, and harmony among the various sectors of society; promotion and respect for minority rights; promotion of a tolerant society that respects the religious freedom of all citizens. (PA) (Agenzia Fides 17/04/2009)