India’s history with democracy is long and often complex, especially when considering cultural factors and the size of the population as it has continued to increase over time. Under Modi and the BJP, we can see an increasing slide towards authoritarianism and was from a democratic society prioritizing the needs of the people.
A Brief Summary of the BJP since 2014
The BJP took power over the majority of India’s government beginning in 2014, when Narendra Modi was elected to be prime minister. Since 2014, he has expanded his power and control within the government, eliminating competition and essentially running the government unopposed. The BJP is not only the most powerful politically, but it is also the most funded party in the country, allowing its views to be spread and supported far more than its political opponents. In 2024, during the national elections, it spent nearly three times the amount of its closest opponents. The BJP has also used its wealth to encourage personality politics and voting for Modi, allowing him to retain a solid political support base despite his policies.
In the past ten years, India has continued to see a decline in democracy. In 2018, V-Dem shifted India into the “electoral autocracy category”, and more recently, in 2024, it was categorized as only partly free by Freedom House.
The government in India has seen an extreme centralization of power under Modi and the BJP in general. The diverse nation that India represents makes it difficult for politicians to create a single vision for the future of the country. The BJP advocates fiercely for federalism as a way to streamline policy and allow the country to grow economically and develop faster. This argument has allowed them to defend the centralization of the federal government over the past few decades.
Coalition politics have also seen a rise in the past few decades, as regional parties began to rise, influencing policies on a national scale. The rise of these regional parties reflects the diversity that defines India as a nation, and the individual views that each of these regions hold makes it difficult to define the future of the Indian government, and the political goals of the nation as a whole.
The decline of democracy can also be seen through the exercising of Article 356, which essentially limits the powers of the states through a measure that meant to be used in cases where constitutional mechanics are failing, and it gives the president the ability to assume all powers of the state government, further centralizing the government of India, which is the goal of the BJP and Modi. While centralization is not necessarily a negative thing, in this case, the power is being centralized to the executive branch alone, essentially giving Modi and the BJP full control over the policies being passed in India.
2024 Elections
The outcomes of the 2024 elections proved surprising overall, with a major shift of party support. The discontentment of the people of India has grown over time, and this was shown in the polls. The BJP’s majority, established in 2019 was overturned, illustrating the rising frustration with the BJP’s rule.
This overturn was surprising because of the extreme lengths the BJP went to in order to maintain their majority. From eliminating competition by arresting them, to silencing even minor efforts by citizens to stand up to the government, the BJP fought hard to have a landslide victory, and were ultimately unsuccessful. This is a huge commentary on how much discontent has grown, as even extreme tactics did not work as well as they might have in the past.
It is clear that discontent is rising in India, because of a number of factors. The people are growing frustrated with things such as unemployment rates, the economy, and social inequality. This is an opening for the reversal of democratic backsliding. As discontent grows over time, it is more likely for the current administration to be voted out. However, it is difficult to predict who would replace Modi and the BJP, and if the replacement would improve the situation or push India further towards authoritarianism.
Despite this declining support, Modi did start his third term as Prime Minister, signaling that the era of democratic backsliding is not ending entirely. India still faces an uphill battle in reversing the impacts of democratic erosion.
The Future of India
Although India has faced many years of democratic backsliding, there is hope for the future of the country. As seen in the 2024 elections, there is still opposition to the power and policies of the BJP, and there is still room for the backsliding that has occurred to be reversed.
The opposition in India has managed to gain some leverage over the past few years, gaining traction as the BJP has grown more unfavorable. There is an opening at this moment in time to continue to push at these weaknesses and push for new leadership and push back towards democracy.
Sarah,
Great job. I knew a little bit about India’s democratic backsliding coming into reading your post, but you clarified a few things for me.
What stood out for me was the fact that India is considered an “electoral autocracy.” I was surprised to hear that, but it makes sense given that the BJP has very little political competition. I also found it interesting that the BJP lost its majority in 2024 despite arresting people.
This is clearly not democratic behavior. Still, one election cannot fix everything in India’s government. There needs to be further reforms made and a renewed push for leadership that supports democracy.
This post highlights the tension between electoral success and liberal democratic values in India. The BJP has won strong mandates through elections, yet as course materials emphasize, majoritarian victories do not automatically equal democratic health. Democracy also depends on minority rights, free expression, and institutional neutrality. India’s case reflects concerns raised by scholars of ethnic democracy, where dominant groups may use democratic legitimacy to marginalize others. If state institutions, media environments, or legal systems increasingly favor one party or religious-national identity, democracy becomes less inclusive even while elections continue. The post importantly reminds readers that democratic erosion often happens gradually through popular governments.