Indian politician flexes muscle on campaign trail

Navjot Sidhu (in pink turban), Indian cricketer-turned-politician and member of Parliament for the right-wing nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party, flexes his muscles with bodybuilders during his campaign in the northern Indian city of Amritsar on April 26.

India is currently holding the world's biggest election ever. It involves 714 million eligible voters, more than 7,000 candidates at last count, 1,055 political parties, 830,000 polling stations, and 1,368,430 electronic voting machines. The parliamentary general elections are being held in five stages -- April 16, 23, and 30, and May 7 and 13. The results will be announced May 16. (Learn more about the elections in FP's recent photo essay: "The World's Biggest Election.")

Sidhu is a colorful character on India's political scene. The former cricketer won a seat in Parliament in 2004, resigned in 2006 after being convicted for manslaughter in connection with a 1988 parking dispute, and won back his seat in 2007 after the Supreme Court stayed the conviction. Unfortunately, criminality among Indian politicians isn't especially unique. Of the 543 politicians returned to the lower house of Parliament in the last election in 2004, 128 had charges against them, including 84 with murder charges.

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