Millions get ready to cast their ballots

From the mountain heights of Kashmir to the palm-fringed beaches of Kerala, from Nagaland in the remote northeast to the Maharashtra heartland, India will on Thursday throw itself headlong into the world's largest and most extraordinary election.

Here, in the planet's biggest, if imperfect, democracy, candidates from 1055 parties will be seeking the support of more than 714 million registered voters - 40 million more than at the last election in 2004.

Across India's 35 states and "union territories" there will be 800,000 polling stations with 1,368,430 electronic voting machines ready to receive voters, while six million police will be on duty to try to maintain order. Such is the sheer scale of this enterprise that the voting is to be staggered over a month with five separate polling days. The result will be announced in mid-May.

There are wealthy and poor, old and young, high-caste and low, nationalists and those who want to separate from India. There are those who preach peace, and those who promise violence. There are dozens of languages and many different scripts.

But if an Indian election provides a window in the extraordinary diversity of the subcontinent, it should not distract from the fundamental point that this is a contest for power.

The centrist Congress Party, which heads the current ruling coalition, is battling to fight off a challenge not just from the main Opposition, the right-wing Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), but also from a third front of communist and left parties and even a fourth front that includes disgruntled former allies.

Some analysts believe this election - the 15th since independence in 1947 - is the most open in recent years.

But it takes place against a backdrop of uncertainty and anxiety for India. While this emerging nation with its middle vision fixed on superpower status has not suffered the same sort of economic downturn as the West, many middle-class professions in the IT and software industry have for the first time faced redundancies and layoffs.

At the same time concern mounts about the threat of terrorism. More than 160 people were killed by militants from Pakistan in last year's Mumbai attacks, and the issue of how to avoid a repeat of such incidents has dominated much public debate. India's relationship with Pakistan, which has never been warm but had thawed in recent years, has effectively now reverted to a standoff.

Criticism of politicians, particularly their alleged corruption, is a constant among supporters of all parties. In a country where bribery is embedded in everyday interactions ordinary voters are disappointed but not surprised at reports of corruption.

Pundits predict that whichever single party emerges with the most votes, it will be forced to make a coalition to form a Government. Said the veteran journalist and political analyst M.J. Akbar: "The real election will start on May 16."

STATES OF THE NATION:

West Bengal: Bengal has been under communist rule since gaining independence, and hammer and sickle flags jostle for space with images of Bollywood stars.

Kashmir: The most densely militarised place on Earth and still at the centre of South Asian tension.

Uttar Pradesh: India's largest and most important state, with a population of over 190 million. It is the electoral base of the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty, with Rahul and Sonia Gandhi both having constituencies here.

Gujarat: Fast becoming India's business hub, Gujarat is responsible for the production of about 90 per cent of India's soda ash. It also provides about 66 per cent of all the salt used in India.

Kerala: A survey in 2005 ranked Kerala as the least corrupt state in the country. At 91 per cent, it also has the highest literacy rate in India.

Bihar: Nearly 85 per cent of Bihar's population is rural.

Haryana: At 29,887 rupees ($1020), the state of Haryana has the third highest per capita income in India. It also has the largest number of rural crorepatis (similar to millionaires when taking into account the cost of living) in India.

Himachal Pradesh: In a 1981 census it was found that Hindus made up 95 per cent of the state's population.

Maharashtra: Contributing to 15 per cent of India's industrial output and 13.2 per cent of its GDP in 2005-06, Maharashtra is the richest state in India.

Punjab: Has just 6.16 per cent of the population living in poverty.

Nagaland: Over 85 per cent of the population of Nagaland are directly dependent on agriculture.

Orissa: Nearly half of the 38 million people living in Orissa are classed as living below the poverty line.

Tamil Nadu: More than 10 per cent of India's businesses are based in Tamil Nadu - the largest number for any state.

Sikkim: With only 540,000 inhabitants, Sikkim is India's least populous state. At 76 people per square kilometre, it's also one of the least densely populated.

Mizoram: Christians make up 87 per cent of Mizoram's population - one of only three Indian states with a Christian majority.

Karnataka: With GDP growth of 56.2 per cent and per capita GDP growth of 43.9 per cent, Karnataka has been the fastest growing state over the past decade.

Arunachal Pradesh: The one million-strong population of Arunachal Pradesh is grouped into more than a hundred tribes and sub-tribes.

Manipur: A politically sensitive area, foreigners wishing to visit must get a permit which lasts up to 10 days. Visitors are required to travel in groups of four on arranged tours with authorised agents only.

Chattisgarh: Known as "the rice bowl of India", Chattisgarh is one of the largest producers of rice in India - around 1.6 tonnes per hectare.

Assam: Separatist rebels and ethnic tension make this an unstable region, with attacks on migrants and 605 bomb blasts in the past eight years.

Madhya Pradesh: Sixty per cent of children aged under 5 are malnourished, leading to a mortality rate of one in 10 - among the world's worst.

Jharkhand: With a rapidly advancing economy, poverty declined by 2 per cent per year between 1994 and 2002.

Goa: Hundreds of thousands of tourists flock here each year attracted by Goa's beaches and world heritage architecture.

Rajasthan: The largest state in India, Rajasthan has an area of 342,269sq km, around 80,000sq km more than New Zealand.

Andhra Pradesh: At 972km, Andhra Pradesh has the second longest coastline in India.

Meghalaya: The population is mostly composed of tribespeople, 70 per cent of them Christian owing to the work of early missionaries.

Tripura: A state ruled by members of the Left Front, including the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and the Revolutionary Socialist Party.

Uttarakhand: The capital, Dehradun, is sometimes known as "the Oxford of India" for its boarding schools.

Union territories:

Chandigarh: The city of Chandigarh has the highest per capita income in the country at 99,262 rupees. It is also a union territory.

Andaman and Nicobar Islands: The islands were struck by the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami; 2500 people were killed and 5000 declared missing.

Lakshadweep: India's smallest union territory with a population of just 60,650.

Delhi: Current estimates put the municipal population at 17 million, making Delhi the sixth most populous city in the world.

Puducherry: With colleges for engineering, the arts, sciences, medicine and technology, Puducherry is considered an educational centre for southern India.

Dadra and Nagar Haveli: These Portuguese colonies were liberated in July 1954, and an agreement in 1961 merged them with the rest of India.

Daman and Diu: With a population of just 158,204, this is India's second least populous area.

- INDEPENDENT