British Broadcasting Corporation's celebrity news anchor Nik Gowing has been a prominent India-watcher. Waiting to fly in for a closer look at the Lok Sabha polls, Gowing feels the results will be ruled by the voter's feeling for the incumbent coalition government and a host of local issues. He feels that these elections could see the coming of age of the young Indian politician too. He speaks to MiD DAY about Mayawati, the slow economy and the West's interest in Indian polity

You have had an eye on India and its polity since long. What are the key elements of the 2009 Lok Sabha poll?
Every election in every country is different from the last one. That's the beauty of the democratic process. The 2004 elections were about India Shining, about the nation's overall growth. This time it's about a myriad of internal issues that affect voters on a very local level. It's a vote for the record.
In a slow economic scenario, with food prices skyrocketing, with fuel prices rising coupled with international recessionary trends, the opinion of the poor in this country will play a very emphatic role in these elections.
We have realised how coupled the Indian economy is with the US. About 15 months ago the then Finance Minister P Chidambaram had said on BBC World that the Indian economy was not so closely linked with the American economy but now we know that's not the case. So the current economic situation is going to play a very decisive role. For the Congress it's a race against time.
Also, the uncertainty about security, both domestic and in the neighbouring region, will affect the voter's decision.