INDIA is on the cusp of a political change that is widely expected to infuse new life into an economy that is struggling to break away from a tale of weak growth and high inflation.

    But data due this week will probably show no improvement yet to its economic woes, as industrial output is expected to contract for a second straight month while inflation is forecast to pick up.

    Asia’s third-largest economy is battling the worst slowdown since the 1980s as GDP growth has almost halved to under 5 percent in the past two years.

    Output from mines, utilities and factories in March probably fell 1.5 percent from a year earlier, according to a Reuters poll of economists.

    If the forecast materializes, it would mark the fifth fall in industrial production in six months, reflecting the rut gripping the economy from weak consumer and investment demand.

    Meanwhile, consumer inflation is estimated to have quickened to 8.48 percent in April from 8.31 percent in March, the poll showed. Wholesale prices for the month are forecast to rise 5.73 percent compared with a 5.70 percent annual gain in March.

    Policymakers are hopeful of an economic rebound in the fiscal year that began in April, but much will depend upon the pace of reforms after a new government takes over in New Delhi following the conclusion of ongoing national elections May 16.

    “We concur that the economy has bottomed out in recent quarters and a right mix of policy coordination and governance should be able to kick-start the growth cycle,” Singapore-based brokerage DBS said in a note last week.

    “While the cycle could benefit from a stable government, the (growth) upturn will be gradual.”(SD-Agencies)