India's incumbent has advantages

Prime Minister Rao is surrounded with security

April 24, 1996
Web posted at: 2:50 p.m. EDT (1850 GMT)

VYPARVIHAR, India (CNN) -- Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao's job is on the line in parliamentary elections that begin Saturday. But his campaign has advantages rivals can only dream of, including government air transportation and heavy security.

Rao, a member of the Congress Party, often focuses on issues like poverty and unemployment during campaign rallies. But on Wednesday he accused the main opposition party of inciting religious strife. The pro-Hindu Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP, or Indian People's Party) has asked India's Muslim minority for support, a move Rao said would "destroy the secular fabric of the nation," the United News of India reported.

Focusing on his main message to voters that only the Congress Party can provide a stable government, Rao accused BJP of stirring up divisions. "(BJP) is bent upon fomenting tensions between Hindus and Muslims and between Hindus and Christians," Rao was quoted as saying in the southern town of Bellary. "This has created a feeling of uncertainty among the minority communities."

Rao accuses BJP of anti-Muslim bias, but the opposition denies that millions of Indian Muslims have anything to fear if the party takes control of the 545-seat Lok Sabha, the lower house of parliament. Opinion polls say no party is likely to win more than 200 seats. The elections, spread out over five dates, end May 30.

Flying high

The privileges of incumbency are more pronounced in India than in many other countries. As Rao campaigns across the sprawling countryside, he can travel on Indian air force jets and helicopters. Other candidates often must canvass for votes on foot and travel from town to town on dusty, bumpy country roads in uncomfortable vehicles.

Rao also is accompanied by an impressive security contingent. There is good reason for that. During the last election campaign, in 1991, former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated by a suicide bomber who had explosives strapped to her waist. Anyone attending a Rao campaign rally is likely to be frisked, especially around the abdomen. Metal detectors are also used, and bodyguards ensure that no one gets too close.

Rao, who wears a bulletproof jacket and is protected by bulletproof glass at rallies, also rides in a bulletproof car. For long-distance road travel, the car is hidden in a convoy of identical vehicles.

Despite Rao's campaign advantages, a confident BJP asserted Wednesday it will take power in New Delhi for the first time since India's independence in 1947.

New Delhi Bureau Chief Anita Pratap and Reuters contributed to this report.

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