Tomorrow it will be announced who won the Indian election, the largest electoral process in world history so far with close to a billion eligible voters.
Regardless of the victor, India faces a series of difficulties – gigantic gaps between rich and poor, dependence on Russian oil and democratic institutions that undermined in recent years.
It hums and smokes as Mangal Singh produces his freshly squeezed sugar drink. His business is benefiting from cheap Russian imported oil, just like the rest of the Indian economy which on paper is booming.
– Yes, it’s progressing, says Mangal Singh. Since Narendra Modi’s government came to power 10 years ago, most things have improved. For those who are prepared to cut in, it’s going well.
Facing difficult challenges
Regardless of who takes their seats in the palatial government quarters in the capital, New Delhi, when the votes are counted, India faces a series of difficult challenges
– In my opinion, India’s economy is in a major crisis, says Professor Surajit Mazumdar.
The inequality and gaps are so huge and the much hyped growth in Indian economy is a statistical chimera. There is no chance in the world for the government to measure GDP when the unorganized labor market – in which 80 percent of Indians live is beyond control.
On a street corner in New Delhi we meet a group of day laborers, the backbone of India’s vast unorganized informal job sector.
– When the Congress Party ruled, we did not have this great unemployment. Under the current government, we are forced to sit and wait for the employer to come and select you. You see for yourself how many people hang out here to get a few hours of work, says Budh Pal, who traveled in from Uttar Pradesh to seek temporary work as a craftsman.
The professor: Democracy is weakening
Alongside the question marks surrounding the economy, the dismantling of India’s democratic institutions is a major dilemma for the government that will soon take over as India’s six-week marathon election is now over.
– The weakening of India’s democracy is a fact, says Professor Mazumdar, who teaches political economy at Nerhu University in the capital New Delhi.
Democracy is not allowed to function in this society with such widespread injustice. Precisely the gap between the poor and the rich is a factor that undermines democratic development.
Despite the curtailment of freedom of speech and the press, most people we speak to believe that Prime Minister Modi’s right-wing nationalist BJP will win the election.
The farmer: “Nobody cares about us in the countryside”
The farmer Srikant YS whom we meet in a rice field in the southern state of Karnataka is unhappy with Modi, but still sees where the election wind is blowing.
– Whichever government is in power, nobody cares about us in the countryside. Modi has donated 6,000 rupees to all farmers – but it’s just small potatoes. It’s not enough. Regardless, Narendra Modi will win. He will most certainly become the prime minister of India again, says farmer Srikant YS, adjusting his sprinkler that irrigates his four hectares of rice fields.