How India voted in 2009

If you seek a definitive analysis of the verdict of the 15th general election in India, read the Hindu’s special supplement “How India voted.”  I will post an executive summary shortly but attached is the entire supplement in a single document (.pdf, ~9MB).

Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy vs. Chandrababu Naidu

‘Tis the season of post-election analysis.  Over lunch at the Green Park in Hyderabad, the city bureau chief of a respected newspaper drew a compelling distinction between the politics of the victorious Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister, Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy of the Congress, and the vanquished Telugu Desam Party chief, Chandrababu Naidu.

Naidu’s policies as Chief Minister emphasized IT industry-led urban development compelling the young in the villages to pursue jobs in the cities leaving their parents unattended in their golden years.  Reddy’s pro-agriculture and socialist policies allow free medical care for the old (arogyasri) besides incentivizing the young to build livelihoods in the villages.