India's elections: Democracy in the digital age
The world's largest Election gets under way this week.
Dear all,
The world’s most populous democracy is getting ready for a six-week-long General Election schedule starting April 19. This election could well represent a turning point for India, particularly with relation to the country’s assertiveness on the world stage.
It will be both the world’s largest-ever democratic exercise, with 960 million registered voters, as well as the most-expensive polls in world history, even surpassing the Biden-Trump slugfest in the US.
Our team member Timsa Bajpai delves into the challenges faced by the Election Commission of India (ECI) in ensuring its 15m election officials knock it out of the park. Scroll down for more.
After Bridge India appeared in the news in The Economist and the Financial Times over the last few weeks, our inputs featured in this article alongside the Washington-based Hudson Institute, former Coal Secretary Anil Swarup and the Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies.
As our flagship annual Ideas for India conference approaches, just a few weeks after the Election results come out, here’s a look back at some of the most popular content online from last year:
Raghuram Rajan, in conversation with Abhinandan Sekhri
Keynote Address by former Telangana Finance Minister KT Rama Rao
Why India’s North East matters: With Pradyot Deb Manikya
Member news
Welcome to our newest Member Prabhu Guptara. He left India under political exile during Indira Gandhi’s Emergency, and was based in Scotland for 3 years, England for 16, Switzerland for 21 years, and back in the UK for the last 7 years or so. On his first arrival in the UK, to he worked as a barman, ticket checker and more, then going on to work with some of the largest companies in the world. When his wife passed away, he started Salt Desert Media Group in her honour, which distributes books around the world and publishes two book imprints, the Global Resilience Pub and Pippa Rann Books, which focuses on India and Global Indians.
We’re delighted Bridge India Member ReelN, the film network with diversity and inclusion at its core, will be curating the agenda for the Film Conclave as part of the Ideas for India conference on Sat 6 July. This will include a special Dev Anand exhibition, as well as celebrities travelling from India to discuss closer business opportunities in film between the two countries.
Watch Anuj Radia’s latest Bollywood interview, this time with Vidya Balan and Pratik Gandhi on his YouTube channel Filme Shilmy here.
Upcoming events
An evening of film with Vaibhav Anand (6pm, Tues 7 May | RSVP by reply | location provided to confirmed guests)
Director Vijay Anand enjoyed a huge staying power in the movie industry. His films like Kala Bazar, Tere Ghar Ke Samne, Guide, Jewel Thief and Johny Mera Naam had an outwardly youthful and urbane aesthetic, breezy style of storytelling and a fierce commitment to feel-goodness. From the 1950s to 1970, the Anand brothers, Vijay, Chetan and famous actor Dev, were Bollywood royalty.
This is an informal evening for Bridge India Members with Vijay’s son Vaibhav Anand, who studied acting and film at Lee Strasbourg University in New York and made his debut as actor in Aarti Bagdi’s Chalti Rahe Zindagi last year. If you came to the black-tie dinner after last year’s Ideas for India conference last year, you may have met the Chalti Rahe Zindagi team.
Santoor Music & Art Boheme (6pm, Sat 18 May | Harrow | Book tickets here)
Immerse yourself in an evening of artistic enchantment and cultural symphony with Sajda Festival of South Asian Performing Arts and Ketna Patel Art Studio. Upcoming instrumentalist maestro Ninad Daithankar will present a Santoor recital, with internationally acclaimed Saleel Tambe on percussion, all set in an art studio.
When: 6pm, Sat 18 May
Where: Ketna Patel Art Studio, 10 September Way, London HA7 2SG
Who and what: 70 guests in an art studio, with a musical performance, dinner and drinks
Tickets: £40, further info here
Is Indian literature relevant in the western world today? (5:30pm Mon 10 June | central London)
In partnership with The Mohua Show, we will be hosting a session with Sanjoy Roy (Founder, Jaipur Literature Festival) and other guests exploring this topic.
Literature and literary scholarship from India, though sometimes unacknowledged, could be said to be at the forefront of revitalising interest in the idea of moving beyond “world literature” in bookshops (which might stress global circulation, transcultural reading practices, broad structural patterns, and often unexpected connections among books and readers) to more readily identified “Indian literature”.
When: 5:30pm, Mon 10 June
Where: Central London (tbc)
Tickets: Details coming soon
Ideas for India conference (5 - 6 July | Royal Lancaster London) | Book here)
India Week 2024® is the place to engage in high level discussions on the New India. During the London events, we’ll have space for over 50 exhibition stands and are expecting nearly 100 business and policy delegates from India.
The Ideas for India® conference in London will consist of:
Fri 5 July: Ideas for India® conference, Drinks Reception with London Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and University of Westminster
Sat 6 July: Ideas for India® conference, Black-tie Celebration Dinner with GEDU Global Education
To find out more and to get involved, please reply to this email.
Democracy in the Digital Age: Is India's electoral integrity at risk?
India's democracy is evolving in the face of technological advancements. As the nation gears up for the General Elections 2024, the discourse on electoral integrity takes centre stage, probing the efficacy of the mechanisms in place. The ECI, the custodian of India's democratic processes, stands at the nexus of this debate. Recent advancements in technology have promised increased transparency and efficiency in the electoral process, yet questions loom regarding their efficacy in upholding the democratic ethos.
President Shrimati Droupadi Murmu recently said the ECI’s use of technology in elections has set an example to entire world, showcasing India’s commitment to progress and efficiency in the electoral process. The scale of India's electoral process underscores the need for meticulous planning and execution.
In light of recent developments, including the implementation of electronic voting machines and the Voter-Verifiable Paper Audit Trail system, the discourse on electoral integrity has had more resonance than in previous election cycles.
The Supreme Court's scrutiny of the electoral bonds scheme, aimed at ensuring transparency in political funding - which we covered in a recent Policy Watch - underscores the imperative for robust mechanisms to safeguard the democratic process.
However, amidst the commendations lie critical questions regarding the impartiality of the electoral process. Concerns are being raised by some Opposition parties and civil society leaders about alleged biases at the ECI, including by former Chief Election Commissioner SY Quraishi - who we’ve hosted at earlier events.
The swift appointments of two commissioners by the government, against the backdrop of vacancies in the ECI, raise eyebrows regarding the institution's independence. The ECI's role as a fair referee in the electoral arena has come under scrutiny, with accusations of favouritism from the Opposition benches. The ECI’s verdicts in cases regarding the Shiv Sena and NCP in Maharashtra both favoured the “breakaway” factions.
The ECI's initiatives such as the Chunav Ka Parv, Desh Ka Garv campaign are commendale and essential, as aim to foster voter awareness and inclusivity. But the demand for 100% counting of VVPAT slips, raised by the Opposition, may underscore a greater need for transparency in the electoral process. As India navigates the intricate landscape of electoral integrity, the role of technology in safeguarding democratic values assumes paramount importance. The ECI's commitment to transparency and inclusivity must be reinforced through robust mechanisms to address concerns of bias and favoritism.
So much of India’s election process is commendable - it is the world’s largest such exercise ever, it is overwhelmingly peaceful, significantly more technically advanced than the paper balloting of the US Elections (which last time led to several recounts in swing states) and a turnout rate of nearly 70% in large parts of the country. The ECI deserves credit for much of this.
The Election Commission's response to the challenges of the technological age could be litmus test for the integrity of the world's largest democracy.
Timsa Bajpai is a Penultimate year International Relations student studying at Sciences Po’s School of Political Science in Paris, and King's College London. You can reach her at timsa@bridgeindia.org.uk.
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The Bridge India Team
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