Economic issues played a much bigger role in India’s mammoth general election than the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party hoped, said one expert.
India n National Congress supporters react to initial general election results at the party headquarters, in New Delhi, India on Jun 4, 2024. India ’s marathon general election drew to a close on Tuesday , with Prime Minister Narendra Modi ’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party The shock result came as commentators and exit polls projected an overwhelming victory for Mr Modi, who will still enter a rare third term in office.
Analysts whom CNA spoke to pointed to voters being dissatisfied with issues like high unemployment, as well as the tactics used by the BJP to suppress the opposition. “Rural distress is very high and the majority of India still earns its income from agriculture, in some form or other, and don't do particularly well. Food insecurity has been increasing as inflation has gone up,” Dr Nooruddin said.
Chief ministers were imprisoned, countless others had to deal with the tax authorities, and Congress’s bank accounts were frozen in February, leaving it unable to campaign properly. Dr Nooruddin said: “The exit poll industry remains relevant, but I think we have to do a much better job of discerning high-quality exit polls from a lot of the stuff that gets paraded on national television.”
“The election was really fought on a cult of personality, a politics of hubris,” she told CNA’s Asia First. Mr Modi had inaugurated the controversial Ram temple, located in the northern town of Ayodhya, in January in what was seen as his trump card to retain power. Mr Karthik Nachiappan, fellow at NUS’ Institute of South Asian Studies, told CNA’s Asia First that trade and investment will “get a lot of attention” and become an important policy going forward.With India having become a key security partner and an actor in Southeast Asia in the past few years, there are hopes of further economic integration with the region, Mr Nachiappan said.
India Election Narendra Modi BJP Indian National Congress
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