Church representatives from Europe, Latin America, Africa and Asia will visit churches and civil society groups in India to back justice and peace work and oppose caste discrimination and violence against Christians.

More churches and Christian groups in India have hailed as a victory for secular governance and a non-sectarian society the convincing victory of the ruling coalition, which did much better than pre-election polls had suggested.

The overwhelming victory of the Congress Party and the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) in the Indian elections is being seen as a decisive victory over communalism and narrow religious nationalism and sectarianism.

Indian church leaders have said they are wary about the motives given for the arrest of a parliamentary candidate from a "Hindu nationalist group" in the troubled Kandhamal district of Orissa state.