Over 400 million millennials to decide India's fate in 2019 Lok Sabha polls

How a billion Asian voters navigate around misinformation, fake news and a hardening of majority sentiment against minorities on their way to the polling booths will be worth watching

In the first half of 2019, a billion Asians will elect the next leaders of the region's two largest democracies. 

Half – 400 million in India, and 79 million in Indonesia – are from the millennial generation, born roughly between 1982 and 2001. Many will cast ballots for the first time. Although the threat of sectarian hatred looms large over both the Indian and Indonesian elections, economics will still take center stage.

The issue that will resonate most with younger voters is jobs.

Indonesia’s President Joko Widodo will seek a second term on April 17, promising to "re-industrialize" the economy.