India politician promises '100 smart cities'

The concept of smart cities is being used to appeal to voters in India.

Shri Narendra Modi, leader of the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party, proposes an eight-point development plan that includes 24/7 electricity on demand, a bullet train, railway reforms and the construction of 100 smart cities.

Other elements of the party platform include agricultural reform, anti-corruption measures, efforts to control prices and inflation, education and job training for youths and healthcare for all.

Bloomberg reports that Modi is “seeking to harness voter anger over higher prices of everything from onions to medicine to win power in a nation where more than 800 million people live on less than $2 a day.”

Current terms in the lower house of parliament are set to expire on May 31.