Rahul Deepankar, a distinguished Indian physician from Chicago, said goodbye to his roaring practice to contest election in his country. Being a dalit, he thought he had all the advantages of contesting from a reserved seat. His first call was on the Mayawati's Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP). But, to his dismay, he found that his "high qualifications" were in his way.

Beginning this month, the largest exercise of the democratic franchise in history will take place, as Indian voters head to the polls to elect a new national parliament. They have done this 14 times since India gained independence. Each time India voted has been the world’s largest exercise in electoral democracy. India’s growing population keeps breaking her own record.