Democracy Playing Its Role In India

Yesterday, India, the world's largest democracy of 714 million people, began its month-long election process, which will be staggered into five separate blocks. Polling started in the northern and eastern regions yesterday where the highest concentration of poverty-stricken Indians will cast their ballots.

The election pits the ruling Congress Party, along with some minor alliances, against the opposition party, Bharatiya Janata, a Hindu-nationalist party. India is predominantly Hindu with a Muslim minority, which should play a minor factor in how the nation votes. The BJP lost power in 2004, and seems unlikely to regain the majority because of inter-party tension.

Likely to play a key role in the elections are several regional parties which could ally with either major party to form a larger majority for one side, or could strip votes from both predominant parties, creating a situation where even the majority government are unlikely to have overwhelming power due to a fragmented government.

Still, it is promising for other pro-Democratic states that India can once again organize an election on such a massive scale. Around 800,000 voting sites will be in use, and guarding those sites from threats and attacks which have been increasingly forthcoming leading up the the election will be 2 million security personnel. Still, by Thursday evening, 14 separate attacks on polling places and trucks carrying equipment had been reported, resulting in at least 17 deaths.

Also encouraging for democracy in India was the appointment of a new lawyer for Mohammed Ajmal Amir Iman, also known as Kasab, the only terrorist captured alive in the Mumbai attacks that took place last November and left more than 170 dead and 300 wounded.

Abbas Kazmi took the role as Kasab's new lawyer after the previous lawyer was dismissed for a conflict of interest resulting from her defense of an attack victim. Kazmi acknowledged the risks of such an action, as many other appointed attorney's for the Pakistan-nationalist attacker were harassed, threatened, and even had their homes vandalised and damaged.

Kazmi called it his duty and an honor "as a democratic society" to represent Kasab, despite the obvious conflicts and contempt most Indians feel in the wake of the attacks. Mumbai's Bar Association had previously decided not to represent Kasab. Kazmi will receive government protection while the trial is ongoing.

So as India's democratic wheels turn, the pro-democracy states of the international community ought pay attention. If a state with so much diversity, inner-conflict, and class separation can set this kind of example, it may lead others to follow in similar fashion.