The Challenges of Elections in India

If you think lines are long at your polling station, imagine what things are like when over 700 million people vote. Hartosh Bal, political editor of the newsweekly Open, talks about challenges faced by election officials in the worlds biggest democracy.

Global Politics

Voters in India wait in line during the 2009 general election (Photo: Al Jazeera/Flickr)

If you think lines are long at your polling station, imagine what things must be like when over 700 million people come out to vote. Hartosh Bal, political editor of the Indian newsweekly Open, talks about the extraordinary challenges faced by election officials in the worlds biggest democracy, and why such a high percentage of Indians from all classes enthusiastically participate.