A sari or cash? As Indian elections near, voter inducements flow
- Indian election season means bribe season, with politicians of all stripes offering a wide variety of gifts in exchange for votes
- The competition for votes has surged as the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party of PM Narendra Modi has raised the level of campaign financing to record levels
“Though I accepted the gifts, I’m not sure which party to vote for,” said the 56-year-old, who asked to be identified by one name. “They make all kinds of promises at election time and then forget about us later.”
Over 3,000km away, in the Sonitpur district of the northeastern state of Assam, Somit Ganguly, a tea estate worker, was thrilled to have received two liquor bottles and the equivalent of about US$50 from a candidate in the coming elections. “He didn’t ask for votes directly,” the 48-year-old said. “He just said, ‘Take care of us and we’ll take care of you’.”
As four Indian states – Tamil Nadu, Assam, Kerala and West Bengal – as well as the union territory of Puducherry prepare for legislative assembly elections that start next month, political parties are scrambling to woo voters with everything from kitchen gadgets, utensils and apparel to home loans and promises for jobs.
Everything seems fair game in the battle for ballots in the world’s largest democracy, which has a long and entrenched tradition of bribing voters.
“Politics has become hugely competitive in India,” said Nitin Sheshadri, a New Delhi political scientist. “With the economy opening up to overseas investors with deep pockets, there’s big money involved as everyone from conglomerates to local businessmen want a stake in the winning candidate.”
A dramatic surge in the number of political parties in India has also increased the stakes. There are now 2,698 registered parties in the country, according to the Election Commission of India, compared with just 55 during the first Indian elections in 1952.
