Welcome to IBNPolitics.com

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"If the British left, India will fall back quite rapidly through the centuries into the barbarism and privations of the Middle Ages." So spoke Sir Winston Churchill in 1930. It's 62 years since the British left the country, the idea of India has survived, even flourished. Central to Churchill being proven wrong has been the resilience of Indian democracy. There is no greater exhibition of democracy in action than an Indian election.

April-May 2009 promises to be the largest democratic exercise of its kind in the history of the modern world: given the fact that we are a billion-plus nation (and growing), it is apparent that every election breaks the record set by the previous one in terms of the sheer numbers who participate in the exercise.

Capturing this remarkable expression of political freedom is one of the great joys, and challenges of any news organization. For us at CNN-IBN, it will be another opportunity to reaffirm our commitment to being a journalist-driven channel, a channel infused with the spirit of whatever it takes to bring the big story to India and the world. In this multi-media world, we believe that journalism must be interactive and inclusive: central to this philosophy has been the growth of IBNlive.com, already the most popular news website in the country.

Part of the success of our web journalism has been the relentless focus on information and innovation. Which is why we are proud to unveil ibnpolitics.com as the defining website of election season 2009. Over the next few weeks and months, we will bring you election-related information from every nook and cranny of the Indian nation, from Assam to Andhra Pradesh, from Baramullah to Bengaluru. Through our journeys across the country, we will present the myriad shades of an Indian election in a thoughtful and independent manner. Every opinion will find space on these pages, some of the best and brightest will share their views.

With the Election Commission playing big brother, some of the colour may have gone out of election campaigns, but the excitement generated by the millions who throng the polling booths cannot be cancelled out. With the era of single party governments over, elections have become the ultimate game of political roulette, with the ubiquitous Indian voter the ultimate judge of destinies. Predicting just who will win isn't easy: the race for 7, Race Course Road is about to begin. Enjoy the ride on ibnpolitics.com.