Dear Subscriber,

April is well underway, so let's have a look back on the events in India, the achievements of the Australia India Chamber of Commerce, and our upcoming events.

Indian voters are about to elect 543 members to the Lok Sabha, or lower house of parliament. The election will be in seven phases over six weeks from April 19 to June 1 this year. India’s voter base of 970 million citizens, covers 28 states and eight union territories.

There will be one million polling stations.

The Indian democratic story is an amazing achievement. India has clung doggedly to its democratic convictions, largely due to free elections, an independent judiciary, a thriving media, strong opposition and peaceful transition of power.

We wish the Indian nation well – it is by far the world’s biggest democracy.

The younger generations are expected to have an impact, with 18 million first-time voters, and those aged between 20 and 29 years totalling 197.4 million.

India has a first-past-the-post multiparty electoral system in which the candidate who receives the most votes wins. To secure a majority, a party or coalition must breach the mark of 272 seats. The BJP group is aiming for 400 seats. Since 2014, the Bhartiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) led by PM Narendra Modi has won two consecutive terms to form a majority in the lower house of parliament. 

If the BJP-led bloc wins and completes a third five-year term, Modi, aged 74, will be the third-longest-serving prime minister in Indian history. India’s first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, ruled for 16 years and 9 months consecutively, while his daughter, Indira Gandhi, governed for a total of 15 years and 11 months. In 2019, the BJP-led NDA group secured 351 seats in the General Elections. Prior to this, in 2014, the NDA bloc had won 282 seats. Congress Party had 52 seats in 2019. The country has about 2,660 registered political parties. India uses electronic voting machines. Opposition parties, led by the Indian National Congress Party, have been previously fractured, but have united under a front called INDIA, or Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance, to deny Modi a a third straight election victory.

The INDIA alliance is led by Rahul Gandhi – grandson of former PM Indira Gandhi, son of former PM Rajiv and Sonia Gandhi. He is part of the Nehru-Gandhi family – not related to Mahatma Gandhi. Most surveys suggest Modi is likely to win comfortably.

Measures of India’s most recent economic performance are truly impressive, according to a recent article in Forbes.. They show real economic growth of 8.4% over the four quarters of 2023, an acceleration from the 8.1% recorded over the four quarters ended with last year’s third quarter. Read more of the FORBES article here.

It's great to see the Co-Convenor of the AICC National Industry Group for Education & Training, driving real outcomes with India in the schools sector. Deep Mukherjee is Co-Convenor of this group and an Advisor to Cricket Victoria. Cricket Victoria has just announced the launch of School Cricket Program in India on 2nd April, 2024 at Cricket Club Of India, Mumbai – in partnership with KheloMore - a digital platform to brings together young athletes and coaches online. The main aim of KheloMore is to encourage as many youngsters as possible to take up sports and excel in the field. This program will address Formal Cricket Coaching in schools; Community Cricket Development; Coach Training & Certification; and Bilateral School Tournaments. The program will also provide students opportunity to pursue higher education in sports in Australia.

A lot has happened with respect to bilateral trade and investment between the two countries. I look forward to seeing you at upcoming events planned across the country this month.

Best regards,

Executive Chair - AICC