|
|
Article: Free and fair: elections in Kashmir. (Global Notebook).
- Article from:
- Harvard International Review
- Article date:
- March 22, 2003
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2003 Harvard International Relations Council, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
|
Elections in India look more like religious festivals than political events as women with infants in their arms travel on pilgrimages from remote villages to urban voting booths.
Thousands of people stand for hours in long lines to cast their votes. Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP), Congress, Communist Party of India--the names of Indian political parties roll off the people's tongues like mantras. For months before and after the election, party symbols such as Congress's calf and sickle or BJP's saffron lotus proudly adorn flags, walls, truck fenders, storefronts, and makeshift billboards. Democracy has been integrated into India, and participation in this complex ...