Monday, March 4

The election season has started and these elections seem likely to prove extremely important for the future of India. As always posters play a big part, along with mobile trucks roaming the streets with loudspeakers doing take-away party political broadcasts.

In Trivandrum I saw a row of posters that captured both their size and their approaches. The BJP have decided to focus on Nerendra Modi as their charismatic figurehead, and he towers over most local politicians. The other parties have concentrated on their local achievements.

This makes sense from any perspective as the BJP have yet to succeed in southern India the way they have in the north whereas Congress and the LDP have a local and regional record of (successful or unsuccessful) government that they need to defend.