#democracy in india

[townpostin]

Electoral Roll Update Kicks Off in Jharkhand, 3 Other States

Preparation Begins for Assembly Elections in Four States Election Commission launches electoral roll revision process, setting July 1, 2024, as qualifying date for upcoming assembly elections in four key regions. RANCHI – Election Commission has kicked off the electoral roll update in Haryana, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, and Jammu & Kashmir, signaling the start of preparations for forthcoming state…

[newspatron]

Lok Sabha Elections: The Verdict

Thank you for following our Lok Sabha Elections series. Your engagement has made this analysis a meaningful dialogue. Stay tuned for more insightful content on newspatron.

Unravelling the Election Saga Welcome to the concluding chapter of our insightful journey through the Lok Sabha Election Results Analysis of 2024. As we’ve navigated through the intricate narratives of political strategies and voter tides in our previous four parts, we now stitch together the final threads of this election’s story. Lok Sabha Elections: The VerdictUnravelling the Election…

[dxrlinggxd]

take a moment to read indian election news!! india has voted against the ruling fascist party. while they will resume government they will need to forge alliances and have lost multiple strong members of parliament. and all this despite them controlling the media and jailing their opposers! this is SUCH an important reminder that u shld never ever underestimate the power of a vote

[reasonsforhope]

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is, by some measures, the most popular leader in the world. Prior to the 2024 election, his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) held an outright majority in the Lok Sabha (India’s Parliament) — one that was widely projected to grow after the vote count. The party regularly boasted that it would win 400 Lok Sabha seats, easily enough to amend India’s constitution along the party's preferred Hindu nationalist lines.

But when the results were announced on Tuesday, the BJP held just 240 seats. They not only underperformed expectations, they actually lost their parliamentary majority. While Modi will remain prime minister, he will do so at the helm of a coalition government — meaning that he will depend on other parties to stay in office, making it harder to continue his ongoing assault on Indian democracy.

So what happened? Why did Indian voters deal a devastating blow to a prime minister who, by all measures, they mostly seem to like?

India is a massive country — the most populous in the world — and one of the most diverse, making its internal politics exceedingly complicated. A definitive assessment of the election would require granular data on voter breakdown across caste, class, linguistic, religious, age, and gender divides. At present, those numbers don’t exist in sufficient detail. 

But after looking at the information that is available and speaking with several leading experts on Indian politics, there are at least three conclusions that I’m comfortable drawing.

First, voters punished Modi for putting his Hindu nationalist agenda ahead of fixing India’s unequal economy. Second, Indian voters had some real concerns about the decline of liberal democracy under BJP rule. Third, the opposition parties waged a smart campaign that took advantage of Modi’s vulnerabilities on the economy and democracy.

Understanding these factors isn’t just important for Indians. The country’s election has some universal lessons for how to beat a would-be authoritarian — ones that Americans especially might want to heed heading into its election in November.

-via Vox, June 7, 2024. Article continues below.

A new (and unequal) economy

Modi’s biggest and most surprising losses came in India’s two most populous states: Uttar Pradesh in the north and Maharashtra in the west. Both states had previously been BJP strongholds — places where the party’s core tactic of pitting the Hindu majority against the Muslim minority had seemingly cemented Hindu support for Modi and his allies.

One prominent Indian analyst, Yogendra Yadav, saw the cracks in advance. Swimming against the tide of Indian media, he correctly predicted that the BJP would fall short of a governing majority.

Traveling through the country, but especially rural Uttar Pradesh, he prophesied “the return of normal politics”: that Indian voters were no longer held spellbound by Modi’s charismatic nationalist appeals and were instead starting to worry about the way politics was affecting their lives.

Yadav’s conclusions derived in no small part from hearing voters’ concerns about the economy. The issue wasn’t GDP growth — India’s is the fastest-growing economy in the world — but rather the distribution of growth’s fruits. While some of Modi’s top allies struck it rich, many ordinary Indians suffered. Nearly half of all Indians between 20 and 24 are unemployed; Indian farmers have repeatedly protested Modi policies that they felt hurt their livelihoods.

“Everyone was talking about price rise, unemployment, the state of public services, the plight of farmers, [and] the struggles of labor,” Yadav wrote...

“We know for sure that Modi’s strongman image and brassy self-confidence were not as popular with voters as the BJP assumed,” says Sadanand Dhume, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute who studies India. 

The lesson here isn’t that the pocketbook concerns trump identity-based appeals everywhere; recent evidence in wealthier democracies suggests the opposite is true. Rather, it’s that even entrenched reputations of populist leaders are not unshakeable. When they make errors, even some time ago, it’s possible to get voters to remember these mistakes and prioritize them over whatever culture war the populist is peddling at the moment.

Liberalism strikes back

The Indian constitution is a liberal document: It guarantees equality of all citizens and enshrines measures designed to enshrine said equality into law. The signature goal of Modi’s time in power has been to rip this liberal edifice down and replace it with a Hindu nationalist model that pushes non-Hindus to the social margins. In pursuit of this agenda, the BJP has concentrated power in Modi’s hands and undermined key pillars of Indian democracy (like a free press and independent judiciary).

Prior to the election, there was a sense that Indian voters either didn’t much care about the assault on liberal democracy or mostly agreed with it. But the BJP’s surprising underperformance suggests otherwise.

The Hindu, a leading Indian newspaper, published an essential post-election data analysis breaking down what we know about the results. One of the more striking findings is that the opposition parties surged in parliamentary seats reserved for members of “scheduled castes” — the legal term for Dalits, the lowest caste grouping in the Hindu hierarchy.

Caste has long been an essential cleavage in Indian politics, with Dalits typically favoring the left-wing Congress party over the BJP (long seen as an upper-caste party). Under Modi, the BJP had seemingly tamped down on the salience of class by elevating all Hindus — including Dalits — over Muslims. Yet now it’s looking like Dalits were flocking back to Congress and its allies. Why?

According to experts, Dalit voters feared the consequences of a BJP landslide. If Modi’s party achieved its 400-seat target, they’d have more than enough votes to amend India’s constitution. Since the constitution contains several protections designed to promote Dalit equality — including a first-in-the-world affirmative action system — that seemed like a serious threat to the community. It seems, at least based on preliminary data, that they voted accordingly.

The Dalit vote is but one example of the ways in which Modi’s brazen willingness to assail Indian institutions likely alienated voters.

Uttar Pradesh (UP), India’s largest and most electorally important state, was the site of a major BJP anti-Muslim campaign. It unofficially kicked off its campaign in the UP city of Ayodhya earlier this year, during a ceremony celebrating one of Modi’s crowning achievements: the construction of a Hindu temple on the site of a former mosque that had been torn down by Hindu nationalists in 1992. 

Yet not only did the BJP lose UP, it specifically lost the constituency — the city of Faizabad — in which the Ayodhya temple is located. It’s as direct an electoral rebuke to BJP ideology as one can imagine.

In Maharashtra, the second largest state, the BJP made a tactical alliance with a local politician, Ajit Pawar, facing serious corruption charges. Voters seemingly punished Modi’s party for turning a blind eye to Pawar’s offenses against the public trust. Across the country, Muslim voters turned out for the opposition to defend their rights against Modi’s attacks.

The global lesson here is clear: Even popular authoritarians can overreach.

By turning “400 seats” into a campaign slogan, an all-but-open signal that he intended to remake the Indian state in his illiberal image, Modi practically rang an alarm bell for constituencies worried about the consequences. So they turned out to stop him en masse.

The BJP’s electoral underperformance is, in no small part, the direct result of their leader’s zealotry going too far.

Return of the Gandhis? 

Of course, Modi’s mistakes might not have mattered had his rivals failed to capitalize. The Indian opposition, however, was far more effective than most observers anticipated.

Perhaps most importantly, the many opposition parties coordinated with each other. Forming a united bloc called INDIA (Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance), they worked to make sure they weren’t stealing votes from each other in critical constituencies, positioning INDIA coalition candidates to win straight fights against BJP rivals.

The leading party in the opposition bloc — Congress — was also more put together than people thought. Its most prominent leader, Rahul Gandhi, was widely dismissed as a dilettante nepo baby: a pale imitation of his father Rajiv and grandmother Indira, both former Congress prime ministers. Now his critics are rethinking things.

“I owe Rahul Gandhi an apology because I seriously underestimated him,” says Manjari Miller, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations.

Miller singled out Gandhi’s yatras (marches) across India as a particularly canny tactic. These physically grueling voyages across the length and breadth of India showed that he wasn’t just a privileged son of Indian political royalty, but a politician willing to take risks and meet ordinary Indians where they were. During the yatras, he would meet directly with voters from marginalized groups and rail against Modi’s politics of hate.

“The persona he’s developed — as somebody kind, caring, inclusive, [and] resolute in the face of bullying — has really worked and captured the imagination of younger India,” says Suryanarayan. “If you’ve spent any time on Instagram Reels, [you’ll see] an entire generation now waking up to Rahul Gandhi’s very appealing videos.”

This, too, has a lesson for the rest of the world: Tactical innovation from the opposition matters even in an unfair electoral context.

There is no doubt that, in the past 10 years, the BJP stacked the political deck against its opponents. They consolidated control over large chunks of the national media, changed campaign finance law to favor themselves, suborned the famously independent Indian Electoral Commission, and even intimidated the Supreme Court into letting them get away with it. 

The opposition, though, managed to find ways to compete even under unfair circumstances. Strategic coordination between them helped consolidate resources and ameliorate the BJP cash advantage. Direct voter outreach like the yatra helped circumvent BJP dominance in the national media.

To be clear, the opposition still did not win a majority. Modi will have a third term in office, likely thanks in large part to the ways he rigged the system in his favor.

Yet there is no doubt that the opposition deserves to celebrate. Modi’s power has been constrained and the myth of his invincibility wounded, perhaps mortally. Indian voters, like those in Brazil and Poland before them, have dealt a major blow to their homegrown authoritarian faction.

And that is something worth celebrating.

-via Vox, June 7, 2024.

[timetravellingkitty]

the pinnacle of free speech if you ask me

[affairsmastery]

The US updated its Taiwan factsheet, removing the phrase "we do not support Taiwan independence" while endorsing Taiwan’s global participation. This shift drew support from Taiwan but strong opposition from China. The Taiwan Relations Act (1979) continues to strengthen US-Taiwan ties through trade, cultural exchange, and defensive arms sales, despite Beijing’s objections.

Taiwan holds immense geopolitical importance, as the Taiwan Strait is a crucial global shipping route, and the island produces over 60% of the world's semiconductors and 90% of advanced chips, making it vital to the global tech industry. China insists on the "One China Policy," viewing Taiwan as an inseparable part of its territory, while Taiwan operates as a self-governing democracy. India also recognizes the One China Policy and, in 2003, acknowledged Tibet as part of China in a joint declaration.

[mohabbaat]

elections so good we started trending.

[noididnotsignupforthis]

honestly i don't know why people are not paying attention to the fact that India, largest democracy in the world, is shifting to authoritarianism, is openly supporting Israel to the point that Israel is telling it's citizens to be happy that Maldives banned them and they can now explore Lakshadweep.

like i don't know what the result of the election will be but it will be very concerning if modi won by a very large margin

[srisrisriddd]

Happy SunDay FunDay

Democracy --> Tyranny Demagogues

Vs Wisecracy Ancient Indian Guru System

Cartoon Comic Anime Meme Philosophy Inspiration Of

Bhagwan Sri Sri Sri Dr Devang H Dattani ji

Infinite SriSriSri DDD

Posted By TheBlissCity

See The Photo For Fun Joy Joke

#Comic , #Cartoon , #SunDay , #FunDay , #Joy , #Joke , #Art , #Laugh , #Pun  , #Smile , #Happiness , #Humour , #Funny , #Comedy , #Drawing , #Animation  , #Life , #Philosophy , #Motivation , #Laughter , #Jokes , #Enlightenment , #Enlightened , #Comics, #Dogma , #Skepticism , #academic , #Philosophy , #funny , #Memes , #Anime , #Cat , #Democracy , #Tyranny , #Guru , #Indian

[fadingfoxwasteland]

Takeaways from the sentencing hearing of Donald Trump

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[leftistfeminista]

Activists of Progressive Organisation for Women and the Communist Party of India New Democracy protest arrest of poet & activist Varavara Rao in Hyderabad India by Pune police in the Elgar Parishad event that led to violence in Pune last yr

[dremilioastutoworld]

Break Up Big Tech Tyranny! Melissa Barrera: No To Trump's Takeover of Gaza! By É. Roscha!

[timetravellingkitty]

I think rahul gandhi needs to stop waving the constitution around and waxing poetic about how the country's most impoverished saved it and instead do something concrete. stop pretending that democracy in india has been restored when hate crimes against muslims have gone up ever since election results came out YES it's a good thing that modi didn't get his 400 paar in parliament but whether you like it or not hindu nationalism is still as deep rooted as ever

[meetdheeraj]

What we are having is a farce in name of elections. This is by no means a free and fair elections.

Most of the opposition leaders including two CMs who could pull in crowds and influence voters are in jail. On the other hand, those close to RSS-BJP with rape charges even are either not arrested or are out on bail or on parole.

Modi has freezed bank accounts of Congress. Opposition already has significantly low bank balance than BJP owing to electoral bonds but now even what they have couldn't be utilised. It's not at all level playing field.

At many places opposition candidates are being forced or bribed to withdraw their nominations. Case in point, Amit Shah's constituency. It's well documented how multiple candidates were forced to withdraw from there. Surat and that other place are again blots.

For ages India has had a decent election with no overt rule breaking. Asking votes on religious lines is illegal but BJP has done this openly. There are tweets with "vote on Ram" etc from official handles. Modi has openly asked vote on Ram from his rallies. Election commission refuses to act.

Modi has also been openly divisive and given communal speeches. He has stooped to so low that even imagining as much was difficult years ago. Opposition has complained to election commission but spineless three who Modi himself appointed remain as cold and reaction-less as Modi was in that Karan Thapar interview after that glass of water.

Mr Modi has been blatantly lying in his speeches. Mangalsutra, buffalo, Muslims - vary many things have been attributed to Congress Manifesto. None of which exists in their Manifesto. But media has not once called out Mr Modi's speeches. His voters, most of who celebrate Ram, whose entire story is based on a life lived around ideals of truth, seem to care less. You then wonder about them. For example, his voters dislike Gandhi who all his life stressed on speaking truth and was a great devotee of Lord Ram. Modi's voters hate Gandhi. But they love Modi who keeps on lying as if it's not oxygen he lives on but lies. What's word for someone who's more than a habitual lier? Fraud? Even fraud feels like a good word compared to the amount of lying Mr Modi has done. And he does his politics in name of Ram. And somehow worshippers of Ram (or so these people claim) love Mr Modi. I fail to understand this hate of a true follower of Ram and love of a daylight fraud.

This election is not being fought between INDIA alliance and BJP. That's unfair comparison. It's between INDIA versus BJP plus media. If it was minus media then for opposition this would have been a cakewalk. There's ten years of anti-incumbency. That alone has routed govts in past. Plus, just think of the catastrophe if media went after Modi govt like it did with UPA 2. Unlike in 2G, in electoral bonds, there's clear quid pro quo. There's Brijbhushan, Sengar, Ram Rahim, Baba Ramdev, Revanna and others that Modi has shielded. Mr Modi's 2ab, doland, strenhh, radar clouds, gutter gas and umpteen stupid comments - these are real and not out of context clipped bites like Rahul's potato one. Media has created Modi's image. Again a fraud. If Modi gave a single interview to say, Ravish Kumar, forget Karan Thapar - what do you think would happen?