The political battlefield is heating up as India’s 'festival of democracy' advances to the second round of polling. While the mainstream political discourse remains dominated by back-and-forth jibes between the incumbent and opposition parties, mostly along communal lines, Outlook reporters have ventured out to the remotest pockets of India to bring the ground reality to the people.

From Maharashtra’s naxal-affected Gadhchiroli region to South Karnataka, the Vokkaliga heartland, the ground reports bring to the fore the unique issues of democracy and development  plaguing the locals this electoral season. 

Water scarcity, unemployment, caste-based discrimination, land ownership and farmers’ issues have been consistent themes across the nation, whether in rural Northern Rajasthan where a mass migration to bigger cities for livelihood is being observed, to the coastal Konkan region in Maharashtra where marginalised adivasi communities are being forced into bonded labour.

Outlook reporters also visited key electoral seats to gauge the political winds in the region, from PM Modi’s VIP seat of Varanasi to Karnataka’s Hubbali-Dharwad region, considered to be the saffron party’s entry point into southern politics.

As Lok Sabha elections pick up steam, Outlook reporters guarantee to bring original, exclusive and genuine reports from the ground.