ISAS Insights

The 15th general elections in India will be held in five phases between 16 April and 13 May 2009; and the results of voting in the world’s largest democracy will be declared on 16 May 2009. Political parties all over the country, both national and regional, are not only drawing up their election manifestoes, but are also firming up campaign strategies and finalising messaging programmes. The larger national political parties are also busy putting together alliances with smaller regional parties in the hope of winning elections in a sufficiently large number of parliamentary constituencies to enable a stable coalition to come to power in New Delhi. However, this may not happen and the likelihood of political instability of the kind seen in India between 1996 and 1999 cannot be ruled out.