X marks the spot; 700 million might

April 3, 2009 7:39 AM

Between 16 April - 13 May the worlds largest democracy will go into action. Being India the logistics are mind boggling. Over 700 million eligible voters who will vote in over 700,000 polling stations for 1,055 political parties. The BBC goes on to explain what makes Indian elections special. University of Maryland has Forecasts and Analysis and Trends in Indian Election Politics has both insight and an interesting blog roll. As Indian Politics are more than usually corrupt and thuggish there is website dedicated to information about candidates with a criminal history. Sadly in spite of this great democratic exercise, repression of speech and miscarriage of justice will probably still be around for a while.
posted by adamvasco (6 comments total)

That No Criminals site is a nice first step, but doesn't really help one make informed decisions; it simply exposes the incompetent criminals.
posted by Gyan at 7:51 AM on April 3, 2009 [1 favorite]

No criminals would have meant no Bandit Queen.

Despite his efforts to ignore her, she taunted him, publicly called him a thief, and her older sister and she staged a sit-in on his land. Eventually, Mayadin lost his patience and hit Phoolan with a brick, knocking her out. However, she continued to harass Mayadin, demanding justice. In an effort to rid himself of the little nuisance, Mayadin arranged to have her married to a man named Putti Lal, who lived several hundred miles away. Putti Lal was in his thirties; Phoolan was eleven.[2] According to an autobiography written with the help of Marie-Therese Cuny, first published in France by FIXOT in 2001, Devi said she was married to a man with a very bad character when she was only 11.
...
In late 80s, a gang of dacoits abducted Phoolan. The gang leader, Baboo, who was an upper-caste Thakur, wanted to rape her. However, she was protected by Vikram, the deputy leader of the gang who belonged to Phoolan's caste, Mallah. One night when Baboo attempted to rape Phoolan, Vikram killed him and assumed the gang leadership. Phoolan became Vikram's second wife. The gang ransacked the village where Phoolan's husband lived. Phoolan stabbed her estranged husband, and dragged him in front of the villagers. The gang left him lying almost dead by the road, with a note as a warning for old men who marry young girls.
...
In 1996, Phoolan Devi ran for a seat in the Parliament as a Samajwadi Party candidate and was elected. She was re-elected in 1999.

posted by delmoi at 8:02 AM on April 3, 2009

"Phoolan stabbed her estranged husband, and dragged him in front of the villagers. The gang left him lying almost dead by the road, with a note as a warning for old men who marry young girls.
...
In 1996, Phoolan Devi ran for a seat in the Parliament as a Samajwadi Party candidate and was elected. She was re-elected in 1999."

And all this time I thought education platforms were the ticket to getting elected.
posted by Smarson at 8:20 AM on April 3, 2009

Congress campaigned hard in Gujarat's state elections in 2007, but still lost to the BJP, allowing the controversial Narendra Modi to become chief minister for the third time in a row.

...and by "controversial", they mean "fascist".
posted by goethean at 11:48 AM on April 3, 2009 [1 favorite]

Here's a recent article on Narendra Modi (which was discussed here): India’s New Face
posted by homunculus at 1:19 PM on April 3, 2009

One thing (of many) that makes India's democracy fascinating is that it is one of the few places in the world where your wealth is inversely related to your likelihood of voting.
posted by lunasol at 3:17 PM on April 3, 2009