India bets on election boom

BBC: "The latest figures show economic growth to be topping 8%, a rate only matched by the powerhouse that is China. Industry is booming, as December's 6.2% year-on-year growth showed.

In another very modern symbol of development, there are now 30 million mobile phones in India - a figure which is confidently expected to triple within a year or so.

One of the oldest rules of politics is that, more often than not, the state of the economy can decide an election. "