:00:00. > :00:28.Welcome to a special edition of Reporters. I am in the Indian
:00:29. > :00:35.capital of Delhi. As the biggest democracy in the world goes to the
:00:36. > :00:39.poll, we have a range of reports from our correspondent across the
:00:40. > :00:42.country. We will focus on the issues shaping their selection. Coming up
:00:43. > :00:52.in this week 's programme: A unique exercise in democracy. We join some
:00:53. > :00:57.of the first voters in Assad. It has been a solid start on day one of the
:00:58. > :01:02.voting with a good turnout, always a sign that voters want to send the
:01:03. > :01:07.politicians a strong message. Andrew North profiles the controversial
:01:08. > :01:13.Hindu nationalist candidate whose election could change the face of
:01:14. > :01:19.Indian politics. He has a simple message, he is promising a return to
:01:20. > :01:22.high`speed growth at a time when many Indians fear their country has
:01:23. > :01:30.lost its way and the message has growing appeal. A family business,
:01:31. > :01:37.we assess the lasting legacy of the counties as they try to keep the
:01:38. > :01:42.dynasty alive `` Ghandi's. Leaving his mark on the streets of India,
:01:43. > :01:51.the artist spreading his political message with spray paint. It is an
:01:52. > :01:56.election night no other, the world 's biggest vote is under way in
:01:57. > :01:59.India, where the ruling Congress party faces a strong challenge from
:02:00. > :02:06.the opposition right`wing BJP. It is a marathon contest over 800 million
:02:07. > :02:10.people will be voting in nine phases in 930 thousand polling booths
:02:11. > :02:16.across the country over a period of five weeks. One of the first regions
:02:17. > :02:25.to go to the polls is the strategic north`eastern state of Assam. They
:02:26. > :02:30.queued up from the early hours of morning at this polling stations set
:02:31. > :02:36.up in a girls school. Women, almost outnumbering men. Standing patiently
:02:37. > :02:42.for hours in 30 degrees heat. Once inside, a quick identity check after
:02:43. > :02:49.which their fingers are marked with indelible ink, to ensure no one
:02:50. > :02:54.votes twice. It has been a solid start and on day one of the voting a
:02:55. > :03:02.pretty good turnout. It is a sign voters want to send politicians a
:03:03. > :03:05.strong message. Assam has not kept pace with the rest of India when it
:03:06. > :03:09.comes to development. There is a sense you sometimes that they have
:03:10. > :03:14.been left out. A sense of frustration and even of alienation.
:03:15. > :03:20.This is tea growing country. The Plantation in this region was set up
:03:21. > :03:23.by the British in the mid`19th century to produce the world`famous
:03:24. > :03:31.Assam T. While the industry has prospered, tea growers haven't. ``
:03:32. > :03:36.tea. This is three generations of one family, Father, son and
:03:37. > :03:42.grandson, and they will all vote in this poll. They live right by the
:03:43. > :03:45.plantation in conditions that have seen little improvement over the
:03:46. > :03:47.years. The tin shacks that serve as their homes offer no protection
:03:48. > :03:53.against the heat. There is no electricity or proper healthcare.
:03:54. > :04:00.TRANSLATION: The British were here and I have been working here since
:04:01. > :04:04.then. They left, and I voted in the first elections and have voted in
:04:05. > :04:07.all the elections since then. We are not asking for much. All we want is
:04:08. > :04:13.for someone who will improve things for us. We work so hard, but our
:04:14. > :04:19.wages are really low. The industry is making profits. We get no share
:04:20. > :04:23.of that. I am voting for the first time so I am really excited. Our
:04:24. > :04:29.lives here are pathetic. There is no future for me here. I want to vote
:04:30. > :04:38.for someone who will give me an opportunity to move out from here
:04:39. > :04:41.and begin a new life. Now, it is decision time for Assam and the rest
:04:42. > :04:48.of India. Five weeks from now, we will know who they have backed.
:04:49. > :04:53.As we have said, this year 's election is seen as a 2`way contest
:04:54. > :04:57.between the ruling Congress party and the opposition right`wing BJP.
:04:58. > :05:02.The BJP is left eye Narendra Modi, a controversial figure selling himself
:05:03. > :05:08.as a figure for a new India. As Andrew North report, a population
:05:09. > :05:13.frustrated with the economic slowdown and corruption, large
:05:14. > :05:18.numbers are expected to turn out to vote for him.
:05:19. > :05:28.A new face for India. The country desperate for change. A growing wave
:05:29. > :05:31.of support is growing behind the renter Modi, the politician who has
:05:32. > :05:37.worked his way up from the bottom. As a boy, he sold tea in a railway
:05:38. > :05:47.station and now he sells himself as the only man who can get India back
:05:48. > :05:51.on track. `` macro to. TRANSLATION: From the political pundits to the
:05:52. > :05:57.common man, everyone in every corner of India knows who will win and for
:05:58. > :06:00.the next government `` pro two. An explosion of communal violence in
:06:01. > :06:08.his home state, at one he still cast a shadow. `` Narendra Modi. Thousand
:06:09. > :06:15.people died, most of them Muslim. He has never shown remorse. He is an
:06:16. > :06:22.unapologetic Hindu nationalist and it all makes many Muslims nervous.
:06:23. > :06:27.TRANSLATION: Narendra Modi may have been cleared, but he does not
:06:28. > :06:37.trigger. Ask a mother who lost a child if she will vote for him. She
:06:38. > :06:40.will throw shoes at him. What is driving voters Narendra Modi's Way
:06:41. > :06:45.is the boom in his state he has created, while India's economy has
:06:46. > :06:53.slumped under the other party rule. Many see him as their only hope. He
:06:54. > :07:01.is he will develop India. That is why we support him. His muscular
:07:02. > :07:15.style appeals to those who Narendra Modi has a `` appeals to so.
:07:16. > :07:24.Narendra Modi has growing appeal, regardless of questions about his
:07:25. > :07:29.divisive past. Modi`mania Is taking hold and if he winds, prepare for a
:07:30. > :07:37.new kind of India, may be growing faster again, but perhaps also with
:07:38. > :07:40.a harder face. Facing Narendra Modi is Rahul
:07:41. > :07:48.Ghandi, leading the governing Congress party. The Ghandi dynasty
:07:49. > :07:51.has dominated politics for 60 years and the party has given the country
:07:52. > :07:55.three prime ministers and Congress is hoping the Ghandi legacy will be
:07:56. > :08:02.a enough to bring victory to the party again. Our correspondent has
:08:03. > :08:05.been investigating why Indian politics is still very much a family
:08:06. > :08:11.business. That grand collier Palace from where
:08:12. > :08:16.the family once ruled. Becoming one of India's most powerful
:08:17. > :08:24.aristocracies. Three centuries later, the air to the throng Kingdom
:08:25. > :08:34.`` heir to the former kingdom, rules the people who were once their
:08:35. > :08:39.subjects. Is something I am proud of but having said that living in
:08:40. > :08:43.21st`century India, I believe that more work must account for yourself
:08:44. > :08:53.in terms of your connection to the people and your track record. The
:08:54. > :08:56.fiefdom voted for his father and grandmother during their political
:08:57. > :09:03.careers and the adulation he receives makes him a favourite to
:09:04. > :09:10.win. TRANSLATION: For us, he is our king and it will always remain our
:09:11. > :09:16.king. The family has done so much for us. He is a good leader. The
:09:17. > :09:25.political dynasty in India brings to mind the Ghandi family, which
:09:26. > :09:29.brought its first PM to India. His great`grandson, Rahul Ghandi, is
:09:30. > :09:32.trying to keep the legacy alive. Three generations of his family have
:09:33. > :09:39.let India and he is hoping to be the fourth. India might be a mod in
:09:40. > :09:45.democracy, but family and feudal loyalties are important to its
:09:46. > :09:48.culture, one reason why the trend is spreading `` modern. In the eastern
:09:49. > :09:56.state of Bihar, another dynasty is unfolding. Laloo Yadav is a champion
:09:57. > :10:01.of the lower caste. He is politician without political or aristocratic
:10:02. > :10:08.lineage. Now, his daughter is making a political debut, cashing in on her
:10:09. > :10:14.father 's considerable fame. She might be a political debutante but
:10:15. > :10:18.as we walk through these lanes, you can see the interest she is
:10:19. > :10:21.generating particularly among women. It is not surprising because she is
:10:22. > :10:28.the daughter of one of the most famous politicians. Now, Indians
:10:29. > :10:33.from across the country are poised to make their choice. They will
:10:34. > :10:36.determine who makes it to Parliament. Will the new MPs truly
:10:37. > :10:49.represent the world 's largest democracy? From Dynasty is to
:10:50. > :10:51.India's business elite. This year, many candidates with high`profile
:10:52. > :10:53.corporate backgrounds are standing for Parliament, with the country in
:10:54. > :10:58.the midst of an economic slowdown, they are getting a lot of support.
:10:59. > :11:08.We have been finding out what has taken these business barons from the
:11:09. > :11:14.boardroom to the ballot box. Their heat and noise of India's
:11:15. > :11:20.political landscape. The co`founder of one of the country's biggest
:11:21. > :11:25.software giant has set foot on new turf. But, he is quickly learning
:11:26. > :11:31.the ropes, and finding out what makes a good photo opportunity. Five
:11:32. > :11:38.years ago, he left his company to head a government programme giving
:11:39. > :11:41.an unique identification programme to teach Indian citizen. Now, he is
:11:42. > :11:45.wooing the people to put him in Parliament. For the billionaire, who
:11:46. > :11:50.is the richest candidate, this is a far cry from his corporate life. I
:11:51. > :11:55.was sitting in an air`conditioned office, overlooking the golf course,
:11:56. > :11:58.now here I am walking around with people. It is very good, because I
:11:59. > :12:09.am learning the real issues that people face, and I think you need to
:12:10. > :12:12.win a popular election. India needs a lot of change. In India, the
:12:13. > :12:16.middle and upper classes have not been engaged with politics in the
:12:17. > :12:21.past, but that has certainly changed this time. Many people believe that
:12:22. > :12:25.they can be part of the political system if they want to see a change
:12:26. > :12:28.in the way that India is governed. It means people with corporate
:12:29. > :12:31.backgrounds are jumping in to contest elections, whatever party
:12:32. > :12:40.they might choose to join, and that is a reflection. So, in the southern
:12:41. > :12:46.part of Bangalore, one of his former colleagues is also canvassing for
:12:47. > :12:53.votes. Shedding the Isthmus suits he wore as a chief executive, he now
:12:54. > :12:59.looks every bit the politician. He quit the company just over a month
:13:00. > :13:05.ago to join the common man's party, apolitical outfit formed from the
:13:06. > :13:08.movement in India. I thought I had done everything I want to do in the
:13:09. > :13:12.corporate world, I want to do something for society. Think this
:13:13. > :13:17.election will be a turning point, with some people from the corporate
:13:18. > :13:22.world being elected and coming to Parliament. They will become role
:13:23. > :13:25.models for future people to follow. Despite their lack of political
:13:26. > :13:28.experience, the corporate candidates are expected to put up a good fight
:13:29. > :13:36.against the more seasoned politicians. But there are still on
:13:37. > :13:39.the handful of them. For these former software bosses, it will be a
:13:40. > :13:48.while before they can rewrite the code for Indian politics.
:13:49. > :13:55.The horrific rape and murder of a young Delhi student in December 2012
:13:56. > :13:59.has prompted national soul`searching about the way Indian women are
:14:00. > :14:03.treated in society. It has also brought the issue of women's rights
:14:04. > :14:09.onto agenda of this election. We travelled to the north`eastern
:14:10. > :14:12.state, considered progressive by many, but found there is still a lot
:14:13. > :14:18.of social pressure on women to forgive rapist. Men should learn to
:14:19. > :14:24.respect women more. Independent, ambitious and confident. These young
:14:25. > :14:28.students at university seem to have got it together. Like this
:14:29. > :14:34.23`year`old, who lives alone in the city and is researching the issue of
:14:35. > :14:37.violence against women. I really want to work for women, and stand up
:14:38. > :14:45.for women's rights. This bright young modern image hides a dark
:14:46. > :14:49.side. Rape is rampant here. Most perpetrators are known to the
:14:50. > :14:54.victims. Sarah, not her real name, is 19 years old. She says she has
:14:55. > :15:02.been repeatedly raped by her stepfather since the age of ten. But
:15:03. > :15:06.every she was silenced. TRANSLATION: Family forced me to my stepfather.
:15:07. > :15:13.If I had a choice I would never forgive him. I am scared not just of
:15:14. > :15:19.him, but all men around me. This type of violence, and the silence
:15:20. > :15:21.around it, is a well`kept secret. Starkly different from conservative
:15:22. > :15:27.parts of northern India, this is refreshing. Women are visible and
:15:28. > :15:33.employed. I am told that 80% of all people here are women. But, they
:15:34. > :15:40.have almost zero political representation. This woman stood for
:15:41. > :15:47.state elections twice and lost. She tells me no woman from this area has
:15:48. > :15:55.ever been elected to the Indian parliament, and this time, no one is
:15:56. > :16:01.even contesting. On our society, females are looked down upon. We
:16:02. > :16:08.cannot be elected as Judge Elders also, so it affects politics also.
:16:09. > :16:14.Men find it difficult to accept a female to be in the position.
:16:15. > :16:20.Efforts to get more women into public life are continuing. The hope
:16:21. > :16:23.is that when educated, employed women are also politically
:16:24. > :16:33.empowered, it will not be possible to silence them any more.
:16:34. > :16:37.An unprecedented number of young people are expected to vote in this
:16:38. > :16:41.election, so the youth vote could be decisive. We have been talking to
:16:42. > :16:47.students at a Muslim school in Delhi to find out what they make of the
:16:48. > :16:50.Indian elections so far. Everything that you see in the
:16:51. > :16:56.newspaper, it says, make your vote count. They want us to vote, they
:16:57. > :17:00.want a political opinions, they want us to have, you know, they want us
:17:01. > :17:07.to decide as to where we want our country... If we are not working or
:17:08. > :17:09.sleeping, so much is going on. Every brand is trying to take a bit of
:17:10. > :17:14.politics with it, they are popularising it. They don't think
:17:15. > :17:20.twice before putting our status online, or commenting about it. We
:17:21. > :17:24.are bombarded with messages all throughout. During the World Cup,
:17:25. > :17:30.you would have seen, in the outbreaks, a Narendra Modi campaign
:17:31. > :17:39.going on, then in the next one a rival Gundy campaign going on. ``
:17:40. > :17:43.Rahul Gandhi. I am tired of it going on, all the different parties. You
:17:44. > :17:51.have leaders who have gone on Twitter, on Facebook, and every day,
:17:52. > :17:55.every minute, they are tweeting. They go out and meet the common
:17:56. > :18:03.people, and various pictures up there. You are seeing a very
:18:04. > :18:08.interactive form. People below the poverty line, who are in the
:18:09. > :18:13.maximum, they are given things only in the times of elections. They give
:18:14. > :18:17.them gifts, no one cares about them outside of the election times. It
:18:18. > :18:24.looks like it is a gimmick to gain votes from them. I would like to see
:18:25. > :18:28.actual world changes. If they could show us that they have actually gone
:18:29. > :18:34.and built a school, they have built facilities, and they actually show
:18:35. > :18:39.testimonies of these people, I would believe them. He is not a political
:18:40. > :18:46.candidate, but he is keen to get voters' attention. Daku, India's
:18:47. > :18:52.Banksy, is an artist and political activist who operates on scene and
:18:53. > :18:57.anonymously. His artwork is in plain sight across Delhi, but no one has
:18:58. > :19:04.ever seen his face. Says his art is a political statement. He tells us
:19:05. > :19:15.why he wants to provoke a reaction. My name is Daku and name a street
:19:16. > :19:24.artist. Daku is a Hindi word, that means lend. I take walls and leave
:19:25. > :19:36.my mark on the walls. Most of my work includes social political
:19:37. > :19:43.topics, mostly in India. Everyone has an image of Daku in their head.
:19:44. > :19:56.I think in India, people can paint everywhere, but painting is illegal,
:19:57. > :19:59.how is that? In America, people look at graffiti very negatively,
:20:00. > :20:06.generally in India, people don't look at it as vandalism, it is some
:20:07. > :20:10.colour on the walls. Most of my work has multiple stories. People make up
:20:11. > :20:14.their own stories with that, and that is what I like about it.
:20:15. > :20:22.Whether it is pro` voting or anti` voting, it has some kind of
:20:23. > :20:29.conversation around it. Science like stop riding, stop shopping, stop
:20:30. > :20:36.raping. So many of them. Because Banksy is popular, so you compare me
:20:37. > :20:45.with him, as Daku is spreading it will become more and more like,
:20:46. > :20:52.Banksy... More people see it and like it, more people sharing and do
:20:53. > :20:59.it, and it multiplies. I also feel that a wall is a very powerful
:21:00. > :21:10.medium, it is sensitive. You can almost start a riot with just one
:21:11. > :21:14.word. Whether it is in the form of graffiti or street art or whatever
:21:15. > :21:21.it is, I want more youngsters to come out and express themselves.
:21:22. > :21:31.Especially on streets, because that is where you can get a message out.
:21:32. > :21:35.That is all for this special Indian elections episode of Reporters for
:21:36. > :21:57.this week. Goodbye for now. We saw quite a contrast in weather
:21:58. > :22:02.conditions across the UK during Saturday. Northern areas were
:22:03. > :22:05.windier with also some showers. Further south, a dry picture.
:22:06. > :22:10.Through the night, it remains much the same. The southern half of the
:22:11. > :22:13.UK seem long, clear spells through the night.