Karat's acid test and Left Front's greatest gamble
Correspondent: Jyoti Malhotra in Kolkata
As the last vote is cast in the Great Indian Election on Monday evening, CPI-M General Secretary Prakash Karat's acid test in creating a brave, new alternative to the existing bourgeois parties, the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party, has also reached its final stretch.

'I have six votes in my family. I got Rs 1,200'
Correspondent: A Ganesh Nadar in Tuticorin
'If I had refused the money the guy distributing it would have taken the cash and told them that he had given it to me. So I took it'.

Who will have the last laugh in Chennai?
Correspondent: Shobha Warrier in Chennai
Photographer: Sreeram Selvaraj
Chennai constituencies are considered DMK bastions. But judging from the results of the last assembly election, it appears the DMK's grip may no longer be intact.

Tiruvallur will make them pay the price
Correspondent: Shobha Warrier in Tiruvallur
Photographer: Sreeram Selvaraj
Underdeveloped and sleepy, the constituency is crying for attention -- and development. Once home to palmy farmlands, it is tough to spot a tinge of green now.

'There is no Bengal line or Delhi line'
Correspondent: Jyoti Malhotra in Kolkata
CPI-M workers are aware the election is the severest test for the party in 32 years.

'I have come here to canvass, not to beg'
Correspondent: A Ganesh Nadar in Tuticorin
Pollsters say Jayalalithaa will sweep Tamil Nadu, but in Tuticorin her party may bite the dust.

They are marketing me like Miss Universe'
Correspondent: Saisuresh Sivaswamy in Mayiladuthurai
Lack of development has not deterred Mani Shankar Aiyar from embarking on a flamboyant campaign.

'Muslim factor' in Bengal may surprise complacent CPI-M
Correspondent: Jyoti Malhotra in Kolkata
In the filty and impoverished bylanes of North Kolkata's minority-dominated areas, the 'Muslim factor' might be slipping away from the CPI-M's grip.

India's southern-most constituency
Correspondent: A Ganesh Nadar in Kanyakumari
What Kanyakumari clearly needs is more industries to employ its highly literate workforce. With more industries and more work the locals may stop thinking of themselves as Hindus, Christians and Nadars.

'We are not pushing Modi upward'
Correspondent: Sheela Bhatt
Yashwant Sinha on Elections 2009 and Narendra Modi's rise in the BJP.

For the first time, Jyoti Basu may not vote
Correspondent:Indrani Roy Mitra in Kolkata
The summer heat has taken its toll on the Communist Party of India-Marxist veteran, who is 94 years old. His doctors have advised him to stay away from the polling booth on May 13.

Chidambaram feels Tamil heat
Correspondent: Krishnakumar P
Photographer: G K Sundaravalava
The Sri Lankan turmoil has shaken the Congress-Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam alliance in Tamil Nadu. Nowhere has the issue flared up as much as it has in Sivaganga, Home Minister P Chidambaram's constituency.

Will Vinod Khanna's charm work in Gurdaspur?
Correspondent: Vicky Nanjappa in Gurdaspur
Photographer: Satish Bodas
When Khanna hits the campaign trail, you can be sure Bollywood is not far behind.

Rajiv Gandhi, Arun Shourie plot Chidambaram's fall
Correspondent: Krishnakumar P in Tamil Nadu
Photographer: G K Sundaravalavan
Rajiv Gandhi is very angry with P Chidambaram for not having done anything for the Eelam cause. Backing him up with facts and figures and helping him in the campaign is Arun Shourie.

Do the parties care about Punjab's farmers?
Correspondent: Vicky Nanjappa in Gurdaspur
Photographer: Satish Bodas
At the start of the election process in Punjab it was expected that the farmers's suicides and the problems they faced would be a major issue during the campaign. However, few leaders have spoken strongly about this issue.

Will 'winds of change' blow away CPI-M in rural Bengal?
Correspondent: Jyoti Malhotra in West Bengal
Bengal's picture-perfect villages have been home to the hammer-and-sickle for an astounding three decades, but now that the rural idyll is cracking.

'If the BJP gets around 170 seats, it will be secular'
Interviewer: Shobha Warrier in Tamil Nadu
Photographer: Sreeram Selvaraj
‘150 will be a communal number!'

Bengal poll results will sink or save Left Front
Correspondent: Jyoti Malhotra in West Bengal
A reduced victory will limit its ability to influence the wheeling-dealing later this week.

'Contesting polls is a change of strategy'
Correspondent: Mukhtar Ahmad in West Bengal
Photographer: Umar Ganie
'My party felt that this strategy is now outdated and not in tune with ground realities, so it is a change of strategy and not ideology.'

Modi charms Jalandhar
Correspondent: Vicky Nanjappa in Jalandhar
Photographer: Satish Bodas
Modi pulls no punches in attacking the prime minister.

Sikh PM is a big Congress draw in Punjab
Correspondent: Jyoti Malhotra in Punjab
There is a discernible pride in a Sikh being in the top job, and it is one of the reasons why the Congress party may win as many as 8 or 9 seats out of the state's 13 constituencies.

'Glamour has limited power, but power has unlimited glamour'
Correspondent: Archana Masih in Bihar
Photographer: Seema Pant
‘Stars don’t translate into votes because stars have no direct rapport with the people.’

What's an MTV producer from New York doing in the polls?
Correspondent: Archana Masih in Bihar
Photographer: Seema Pant
Few weeks ago Akshay Bhansali took leave from his job at MTV, New York, and arrived in Gwalior to help his mother Yashodhara Raje's campaign..

'Food items are beyond our reach'
Correspondent: Shobha Warrier in Tamil Nadu
Photographer: Sreeram Selvaraj
'Politics today has nothing to do with development. No party is interested in saving the world famous weavers of Kancheepuram; they only want to play dirty politics.'

'Thousands of Tamils are getting killed for the sake of one lady'
Interviewer: Shobha Warrier in Tamil Nadu
Legendary Tamil movie director Bharathiraja explains why he is campaigning against the Congress in Tamil Nad..

'We aren't begging, we are just asking for our rights'
Correspondent: Vicky Nanjappa in Chandigarh
'I run up to every neta who campaigns on the roads and tell him about our problem. It is not only me but the rest too have not been paid. It is not as though we don't work. I work from 8 am to 6 pm.'

'My agenda is the agenda of my janata'
Interviewer: Prasanna Zore in Rajasthan
Dr Kirori Lal Meena is perhaps the most influential Independent candidate in the fray in Rajasthan this general election.

Why Barmer’s Muslims love this BJP MP
Correspondent: Prasanna Zore in Rajasthan
'Manvendra Singh has made a home in the hearts of the Muslims here by striving for their development as well as that of the madarssas in this district.'

Betting hard for Badal bahu
Correspondent: Jyoti Malhotra in Punjab
Bookies in Bhatinda are the only ones who have refused to hedge their bets, and that's probably because they are paid not to do so.

In Chandigarh, parties court youth vote
Interviewer: Vicky Nanjappa in Chandigarh
'There are a lot of problems that the youth face. We need to give special attention to the youth. Chandigarh, unlike the rest of Punjab, has a different voting pattern.'

'Congress candidate has promised employment'
Correspondent: Prasanna D Zore in Rajasthan
A voter discusses the chances in the Sawaimadhopur Lok Sabha seat in Rajasthan where Colonel Kirori Singh Bainsla, who led the Gujjar agitation last year, is the BJP candidate.

Why Punjab is Rahul's political lab
Correspondent: Vicky Nanjappa in Punjab
Rahul Gandhi's message to Congressmen and women across the country is clear: In future elections youth will get preference in the party.

Khamosh! Shatrughan Sinha is campaigning
Correspondent: Archana Masih in Bihar
Photographer: Seema Pant
'In Bihar people don't cast their vote but vote their caste'.

'Is asking for clean drinking water a crime?'
Correspondent: Vicky Nanjappa in Punjab
'I am moved to tears when I see small children drinking dirty water. I walk down to Chandigarh every day and with the help of my son, I get around 5 litres of water in few bottles so that we can drink clean water.'

'No lunatic right wing fringe in BJP'
Correspondent: Krishnakumar P in Rajastan
Photographs: Rajesh Karkera
'Modi obviously has support across states'

Caste battle in Pilot territory
Correspondent: Prasanna Zore in Rajastan
Photographer: Rajesh Karkera
Dausa, represented by the Pilot family for 25 years, sees a complicated contest with no Pilot around.

Glamour vs glamour in Ajmer
Correspondent: Prasanna Zore in Rajasthan
Photographer: Rajesh Karkera
Both candidates are natty dressers. Both are well educated and speak polished English. Both add much needed glamour to the dull proceedings.

Will Gehlot's magic work in Rajasthan?
Correspondent: Prasanna Zore in Rajasthan
Photographer: Rajesh Karkera
Rediff.com discovers Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot's success formula.

Can Sachin Pilot win Ajmer?
Correspondent: Krishnakumar P in Rajasthan
On the campaign trail with Sachin Pilot in Ajmer

'Church attacks have strengthened BJP'
Interviewer: Vicky Nanjappa in Bengaluru
The top RSS leader in Karnataka, in an exclusive interview.

'BJP want equal opportunities for Muslims'
Interviewer: Sheela Bhatt in New Delhi
‘Party frontrunner to form next government,’ says Arun Jaitley.

‘Politics has become a bad word’
Interviewer: Savera R Someshwar in Mumbai
Priya Dutt on what MPs need to do.

Mayawati's pillars of strength
Correspondent: Syed Firdaus Ashraf in Lucknow
The 6 most influential people in India's largest state.

Not BJP or Congress, only the palace wins in Gwalior
Correspondent: A Ganesh Nadar in Madhya Pradesh
No prizes for guessing the constituency.

Is this the dream state the BJP is building?
Correspondent: A Ganesh Nadar in Madhya Pradesh
MP: Grim poverty, government apathy.

Spouses on the campaign trail
Correspondent: Patcy N in Mumbai
Rediff.com tracks down spouses of five high-profile candidates in Mumbai South.

'People shoo me away because I am N Indian'
Correspondent: Patcy N in Mumbai
Photographer: Uttam Ghosh
The recent attacks on north Indians in Mumbai may well become a major election issue.

'Muslims are the next Dalits of India'
Correspondent: Insiyah Vahanvaty in Mumbai
The Muslim community, disillusioned from unfulfilled promises, has become indifferent to even so-called secular political parties.

'SP & Shiv Sena are working together in Mumbai'
Correspondent: Patcy N in Mumbai
Photographer: Gajanan Ghurye
'In the last election, Abu Azmi showed assets worth of Rs 8 crore. Today, it is Rs 124 crore. If only Azmi could explain the drastic increase in wealth.'

'Communism has ceased to exist in Bengal'
Correspondent: Indrani Mitra Roy in Malda, WB
Photographer: Dipak Chakraborty
Malda MP Abu Hashem Khan Chaudhury says people are fed up with the Left and says Mamata Banerjee will be the next chief minister.

'26/11 was a decisive reason to contest polls'
Correspondent: Savera R Someshwar in Mumbai
Photographer: Satish Bodas
Malda MP Abu Hashem Khan Chaudhury says people are fed up with the Left and says Mamata Banerjee will be the next chief minister.

'I can never be a politician because I'm emotional'
Correspondent: Archana Masih in Gwalior, MP
Photographer: Seema Pant
There are three Scindias in the electoral fray this election, but none as beautiful, charismatic and outspoken as the BJP MP from Gwalior, Yashodhara Raje.

An American at The Great Indian Political Festival
Correspondent: Matthew Schneeberger in Karnataka
Photographer: Dominic Xavier
Our American reporter gets his first glimpse of Elections 2009.