New Delhi, March 16 -- The scale of elections in India is always mind-boggling - a polity of nearly a billion people of diverse backgrounds, faiths, communities and geographies come together to choose their lawmakers in a remarkable display of cohesion and trust. This round of national elections - to be held across 47 days and seven phases over 543 Lok Sabha constituencies - is even more so given the extraordinary events that have convulsed the country over the last five years: a once-in-a-century pandemic that devastated large swathes of India, only to be defeated by the might of modern science; an aggressive neighbour abandoning diplomacy for belligerence; unprecedented global challenges brought by two ongoing conflicts; an ascension as...