What investors need to know before the Indian election

Largest democratic exercise ever taken

The upcoming Indian general elections will be the largest democratic exercise ever undertaken, with about 900 million people eligible to vote and 600 million expected to participate.

Nearly four million electronic voting machines will be used in more than a million polling stations. Here are the key issues for investors ahead of the elections, which are scheduled to be held in seven phases, starting on 11 April with results to be declared on 23 May. The previous election in May 2014 saw the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) win 282 out of the 543 seats on the back of Narendra Modi's popularity and promise of a corruption-free government and a reformist agenda. It was the first time in 30 years that a single party had managed to achieve a majority on its own and led to ...