Comment: The juggernaut that is general election in the world’s largest democracy is again on the roll, writes Neelima Choahan.

More than 800 million Indians will soon go to polls to choose India’s 14th prime minister.

Will the northern summer’s hot winds bring in change or return the beleaguered Congress party and its United Progressive Alliance, albeit with a new man (or woman) at the helm?

The ‘grand old party’, which has ruled the country for all but 10 years since independence, has been mired in corruption scandals.

India’s usually apathetic voter may see the April election as a chance to vent their anger at the party for its inability or unwillingness to control corruption.

A tally of 'top nine scams in nine year of UPA's rule' by the respected political magazine, India Today, comes to more than $68 billion.

That’s more than double Australia’s 2013-14 defence budget.

These thefts, from the poor Indian exchequer, target everything from mineral resources, defence, airwaves and even cricket.

Then there is the $60 billion irrigation scam, syphoning money aimed at helping destitute farmers in danger of committing suicide.

Even the once respected Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has lost much of his people’s goodwill.

Mr Singh, who has been nominated through the upper house or the Rajya Sabha rather than democratically elected to the post, has now earned the moniker of ‘Maun’mohan – maun in Hindi meaning ‘to be silent’.

In 2014, the Congress party has no official candidate.

Though, Rahul Gandhi, the scion of the Nehru-Gandhi clan, is seen as the man most likely to take the prime minister’s mantle if returned to power.

The NaMo mantra

In contrast, BJP has been promoting its candidate Narendra Modi, affectionately known to his supporters as 'NaMo', who is seen as a decisive leader.

There is no doubt the 63-year-old, who recently won his third term as Gujarat’s chief minister, evokes strong feelings.

Allegations of involvement in the now infamous 2002 Godhra riots still stick, despite the country’s highest court giving him a clean chit twice.

In spite of the controversies the man, who is said to have started his career as a humble chai-wallah or tea vendor at a railway station, has gathered a massive fan base.

Campaign rallies across the country are attracting large crowds.

In a country dominated by caste politics, Mr Modi, to his credit, has never used his low caste to drum up support.

BJP prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi on stage at an election rally in Jharkhand. ( AFP )

Instead, he has chosen to focus on the unprecedented development Gujarat has seen under his leadership.

Noted columnist and celebrated journalist, Tavleen Singh says if Gujarat was an independent nation it would be richer than India.

Gujarat’s 24-hour electricity supply has made the state a magnate for foreign and local investors.

Especially as last year 22 states, including India’s capital, Delhi, sweated through the biggest power outage in history.

In 2009, the Gujarat government won a prestigious UN award for Water and Sanitation Management Organisation.

This was followed by a 2010 UN award for 'Improving Transparency, Accountability and Responsiveness in Public Service'.

India’s largely young population – more than 65 per cent below the age of 35 – are drawn by Mr Modi’s image as a man of action.

They want to see Gujarat’s success story repeated across the nation.

This is more so when the prime minister is perceived as being powerless and the Congress party president, Sonia Gandhi, as the real power.

However, since Mrs Gandhi holds no official position in the government, she remains unavailable to the media and therefore unaccountable.

Contrary to most reports in the West, Mr Modi, has conducted several interviews for national and international media.

He also uses social media to connect directly with the voters writing blogs, tweeting and appearing on Google hangouts.

Congress rule

But the Congress party has made some serious efforts to attract the disadvantaged voters.

It’s Right to Education bill, Food Security Bill, and the ‘right to work’ guaranteeing 100 days of employment are all billed as a sign of commitment to alleviate the miserable conditions that most Indians live under.

But having been at the helm for 57 years, mostly with absolute majority, the government may find it difficult to convince voters it is serious about progress this time.

Between the period of independence and 1977, Congress party even had a continuous run at the centre for 30 years.

The opposition will not be hesitant in pointing out that during their long stint Congress has been unable to deliver basic education, sanitation, clean drinking water and primary health.

So far the ruling party has been able to market itself as being secular and pro-minority. This despite some of the biggest communal riots all under the Congress party watch.

The most deadly of which occurred after the death of then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in 1984 when some of the party’s leaders were implicated in a pogrom in which about 3000 Sikhs died.

Several prominent Congress leaders like J D Tyter are still facing charges. Mrs Gandhi’s son and successor, Rajiv Gandhi, even spoke out in support of the pogrom saying ‘When a big tree falls, the earth shakes,’.

Modi too will face problems convincing the electorate that he means to rule for all. He is seen as being pro-Hindu and will have to work hard to win Christian and Muslim voters.

But statements he’s made such as, ‘Hindus and Muslims both want to fight poverty not each other’ are sounding the right notes.

Importantly, in this election Mr Modi has changed the agenda forcing his rivals, in particular the Congress party, to focus on good governance.

The move seems to be resonating with voters.

Wooed in the past along religious and caste lines, this time the Indian voter mainly wants to know which political party can offer India and its citizens a chance of a better life.

Neelima Choahan is an Indian-born journalist who is now based in Melbourne. You can follow her on twitter @NeelimaChoahan