India: Modi again but not alone

By ToniAnn Izzo                                                                                              Vai alla versione italiana

For the third time, Narendra Modi has been elected the prime minister of India by the world’s largest democracy. Though you might expect this term to be similar to his last two, this election cycle in India has proven to be anything but that.

In power but not alone

Contrary to the confident claims made by Modi, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which is the ruling right-wing party, failed to secure a majority in India’s national elections. This is groundbreaking because Modi has never held office where his party did not hold the majority of the seats in the government.

For the first time in years, we are seeing a resurgence of parties that have been quiet for a long time being elected into parliament in significantly high numbers.

These new election results reaffirm the democracy of India and finally give citizens with opposing or different views from that of the BJP a chance to be represented in the government.

What Modi did

During his previous terms, Modi implemented several significant economic reforms and infrastructure projects. However, his tenure has also been marked by controversies, particularly concerning his stance on religious nationalism and minority rights.

As his party would allude, Modi ran his campaign on the basis of Hindutva and the positive economic impact he has had on India already. Hindutva is a religious nationalist movement where Hindu nationalism, a political ideology, asserts that Indian national identity and culture are inseparable from the religion of Hinduism.

Promoting religious violence?

While there is religious freedom in India and one is free to practice any religion of their choosing, this ideology that is heavily backed by Modi and the BJP has promoted violence amongst the religious minorities of India.

Modi made claims about India being the fastest-growing economy in the world; however, currently, India is suffering from a large job crisis for the younger generations who remain out of work and struggle to afford life in India.

This lack of work is one of the major reasons why one of the states that had a big impact on the BJP’s chance to win the majority, Uttar Pradesh, did not vote in many BJP members. This came as a shock because both Modi and the BJP spent a large portion of their campaign there but did not make an effort to fix the issue of job insecurity amongst the youth.

As of right now, we are waiting to see how the dynamic between Modi and the rest of the government will be. Many are wondering how Modi will get along with this new way of governing and whether or not he will remain strict on his goals or compromise in an effort to create peace in parliament.

This not only impacts India but could have a major impact on the world order as things will no longer be exactly as Modi and his party want them to be; there will most likely be opposition during his five-year term.

Modi has never really had to challenge his own parliament and he might not have to still, but it looks like we will be seeing a very different side of Modi, for better or for worse. Only time will tell.

A new political era

The recent election results mark a significant shift in Indian politics, introducing a new era of potential coalition governance and increased representation for diverse viewpoints.

The coming years will be crucial in determining how Modi navigates this landscape and addresses the pressing issues facing the nation.

Toni Ann Izzo

I am a political science enthusiast from New York City with a passion for global politics.

I aim to spark interest in young people, who are the most impacted by today’s political decisions by  making complex issues understandable and engaging.

I bring a fresh perspective to political discussions to make politics fun and accessible for the next generation.

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