Category : World
Service
Date : 23.03.2004
Printable version
91Èȱ¬ Hindi
service, radio and online, will bring in-depth and comprehensive coverage
of the Indian national elections.
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The service, which currently has the Voice of the People
road show touring Bihar, is also broadcasting three series especially
for the election featuring the former Prime Minister IK Gujral and discussing
India's democracy and voting tradition.
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IK Gujral served for just over a year as India's Prime
Minister.
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Over the next eight weeks starting Wednesday 25 March
he discusses the elections, weaving in the electoral dynamics of India's
democracy into his own busy political past. He twice served as India's
foreign minister.
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His radio programme will be accompanied by a regular
column on 91Èȱ¬ Hindi's popular website .
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In the Aap ke mudde, Aap ka chunav, also starting Wednesday
25 March, 91Èȱ¬ Hindi radio editor Shivkant travels across India exploring
how democracy interplays with different aspects of life.
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In the 25-part series Shivkant compares voting trends
by caste, region and social groups throughout the years.
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He discusses with politicians the key issues affecting
India and speaks to young people, who make up more than half of the
voting population, about their concerns and aspirations.
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Shivkant also explores how women vote and what their
expectations are.
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And starting on Friday 2 April social scientist Yogendra
Yadav navigates listeners through the diversity and complexity of Indian
democracy in Sansad ki Raah.
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The 25-part series analyses the impact of the election
on the major states of India, examines the electoral battleground and
looks back on past elections.
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Each programme explores the nature of party competition
including how political and social alliances are formed and develop.
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Yogendra also looks at the challenges ahead for the
winning political party and explores the possibility of a caste alignment.
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Yogendra Yadav complements his radio programme on
with in-depth features and reports, background information on the political
parties, tables mapping the party positions and charts.
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Head of 91Èȱ¬ Hindi, Achala Sharma, says: "With our
radio and online coverage we will ensure that Hindi-speaking audiences
globally are engaged with the election story as it unfolds.
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"But, more importantly, we will give visitors to
bbchindi.com the opportunity to put across their views and contribute
to the debate on key issues affecting them in this vote."
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These new series are in addition to extensive news and
current affairs coverage of the election on 91Èȱ¬ Hindi radio and online.
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Notes to Editors
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91Èȱ¬ World Service broadcasts programmes around the world
in 43 languages and is available on radio and online.
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It has a global audience of 150 million listeners.
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91Èȱ¬ World Service is available globally on short wave;
on FM in more than 135 capital cities; and selected programmes are carried
on around 2,000 FM and MW radio stations around the world.
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The 91Èȱ¬ World Service websites receive more than 200
million page impressions every month.
