The last time Indians voted in a national election, in 2019, the Bharatiya Janata Party, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, won. But even then, more than 60 percent of voters voted for other parties.
That Mr. Modi has established such dominance in Parliament despite a lack of majority popular support is a reflection of a dysfunctional and fractured political opposition.
The main opposition party, the Indian National Congress, ruled for decades after the country’s independence in 1947, guided by the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty. The party’s position is now significantly reduced: in 2019 it won 52 seats in Parliament compared to 303 for the BJP. He is not expected to do much better in this year’s elections, which began Friday and last six weeks.
Here’s why India’s political opposition finds itself in such dire straits.
Congress is a shell of what it once was.
The Congress, long positioned at India’s political center, has struggled to find direction and offer an ideological alternative to the Hindu nationalist BJP which has dampened the broader opposition’s fight against Mr. Modi.
The Congress faced a leadership crisis, a series of rebellions and internal conflicts. Even after two consecutive defeats to Mr. Modi, the party remained faithful to its dynastic leadership. He again proposed Rahul Gandhi, son, grandson and great-grandson of Indian prime ministers, as the face to take on Mr Modi.
Mr. Gandhi attempted to increase his political clout by leading long marches across the country, including one of the most 2,000 miles. But when he seemed to find some momentum, the BJP decided to put the brakes on him.
After his first march, which attracted large crowds, the BJP ensnared him in a lawsuit that led to his expulsion from Parliament. He was later reinstated to his seat by India’s highest court.
His party’s defeats in a few key national elections in recent months have also thrown it off course, revealing the extent of its deep-rooted problems.
A coalition of parties finds it difficult to unite.
In the months leading up to the election, a series of opposition parties formed an alliance catchily named INDIA, short for the less mellifluous National Alliance for Inclusive Development.
The creation of the coalition has sparked unease among BJP leaders, suggesting the election could be a less one-sided affair.
But a series of bitter disagreements over seat sharing among alliance members has disappointed many supporters. In some states, coalition parties have failed to resolve long-standing differences, putting protection of local turf ahead of the national ambition to challenge Mr. Modi.
The chief minister of a state, who was one of the founders and a prominent figure in the opposition bloc, even switched camps to join the BJP. Mr. Modi has relentlessly tried to divide the coalition, luring some members with incentives and miring others in investigations and jails. sentences.
Modi uses the government to attack opponents.
Opposition groups say Mr. Modi is asking government agencies to do his political work for him. They appear to have good reason: opposition leaders have been the target of around 90% of the cases involving politicians pursued by the country’s main financial crime agency since Mr. Modi in 2014.
Weeks before this year’s elections, tax agencies led by Mr. Modi moved to freeze Congress’s bank accounts, leaving the party crippled. The Modi government also sent two chief ministers from opposition parties to jail.
While the Congress has long been the object of Mr. Modi’s ire – he has even said he wants a “Congress-free India” – a smaller group, the Aam Aadmi Party, or AAP, has faced particularly severe repression. severe.
Mr. Modi, analysts say, sees the AAP as a potential national challenger as the Congress fades. The party leads governments in the capital region Delhi and Punjab state, and has made inroads in Mr. Modi’s home state of Gujarat.
Opposition lines of attack find limited traction.
The opposition coalition attacks Mr. Modi mainly on two points: growing authoritarianism, it says, is transforming Indian democracy into one-party rule, and political corruption, it says, enriching a small elite.
Opposition leaders also highlighted India’s growing inequality and huge jobs gap, particularly for its massive youth population.
It is not clear whether these lines of attack had much impact on Mr. Modi’s reputation. He achieved great power and popularity through a potent blend of Hindu majoritarianism, strong social programs and his own personal charisma.
Mr. Modi also exercises enormous control over Indian news channels, with broadcast media particularly responsive to his wishes.
Mujib Mashal reports contributed.
