NEW DELHI : Mother Of All Elections?
The world’s largest democracy goes to the polls Monday, launching a weeklong national election that will determine the future political landscape of the second most populous nation on earth.
Analysts say it could well produce the first Hindu fundamentalist government, which would cause deep concern among India’s 100 million Muslims and intensify longstanding tensions with the neighboring Islamic state of Pakistan.
India’s ancient caste system and a multitude of regional rivalries are among issues facing the country’s nearly 400 million voters, who will be selecting 544 representatives for the country’s lawmaking lower house of Parliament. No results will be announced until polls close on May 26.
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