The power of money in India's general polls

India's general elections is on-going until 19 May.

The sub-continent's political parties display low “intra-party democracy” because policy decisions are routinely made by a small group of party elites.

More importantly, party tickets are typically distributed, or even sold, by these elites in the absence of a functioning democratic process within the party.

As a result, many candidates from the major political parties view contesting elections as an investment rather than a sunken cost.

They also tend to bankroll the parties in the campaign period.

In this second report from a two-part series on the power of money power in India's elections, correspondent Murali Krishnan explains why a fundamental change in electoral laws is desperately needed.