With India headed for elections to the 18th Lok Sabha, it’s worth remembering that the concept of electoral democracy is not Greek to the country and it predates Western influence.
Between the 7th century BCE and the 4th century BCE, the Indian subcontinent was home to ganasanghas (republics), such as Shakya and Licchavi, where governance was conducted by a council of representatives elected by the populace. Then voting was primarily done by a show of hands. Between the 8th and 16th centuries, southern Indian kingdoms had an electoral system to elect members of sabas, under which villagers wrote their preferred
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