India’s ruling coalition government has paid several hundred thousand dollars to acquire the right to use the Oscar-winning Jai Ho song from Slumdog Millionaire as part of its election advertising. The UPA Coalition, led by the Indian National Congress party, embraced the British movie and its depiction of the poor immediately in a calculated move that this will help it capture the vote of the 600 million voters in India who are poor.
In the last general elections the Bhartiya Janata Party and its allies used the slogan and theme India Shining to portray the aspirations of a wealthy and rising country. And lost the election, despite being the front runner and riding on a wave of high growth.
Last updated: December 26th, 2025
