Rights over land and forests, a push for LGBTQ equality and getting more women on the ballot are some of the top election issues in Thailand, India and Indonesia as more than 1 billion people prepare to go to the polls, including many first-time voters.
The candidates' platforms reflect a growing concern in those countries over widening economic inequality and the marginalization of minority communities, analysts say.
In Thailand, which will hold a general election Sunday — its first since the military seized control in 2014 — candidates for prime minister include a transgender woman, a former student activist and a human rights campaigner from the rural northeast.