Watch part two

The Indian elections come at a pivotal time in the country's history. And regardless of its composition, when the new government begins work in June, domestic policymakers will be faced with challenges of mammoth proportions.

The economic crisis has undoubtedly reached India as the nine per cent growth rates which the country has seen for three of the past four years have slipped.

The developmental task remains overwhelming, and issues of regional security, like relations with Pakistan that have impacted this election are likely to have a long lasting effect.

The fifth and final phase of voting in seven states wraps up on Wednesday, a process that began one month ago.

Voters in the states of Tamil Nadu, Punjab, Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal will cast their ballots. Voting will also be held in the federally-administered territories of Chandigarh and Pondicherry.

The first exit polls - banned during the staggered voting process - are expected hours after polling closes, although the official result will be announced by the Election Commission only on Saturday May 16th.

Neither the ruling alliance led by the Congress party, nor the main opposition bloc headed by the Hindu-nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is seen as capable of securing an absolute majority.

On Wednesday, Riz Khan speaks with Mira Kamdar, senior fellow at the World Policy Institute and the author of "Planet India: The Turbulent Rise of the Largest Democracy and the Future of Our World" and Dan Twining, senior fellow for Asia on the German Marshall Fund who previously served as a member of the State Department Policy Planning staff responsible for South Asia.

This episode of the Riz Khan show aired on Wednesday, May 13, 2009.