What Will India’s Election Mean for the World’s Largest Democracy?
Summary from the AllSides News Team
India, the world’s most populous country and largest democracy, is holding elections from April 19 – June 1. The occasion has drawn particular attention to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
For Context: India’s nearly one billion voters began voting on Friday. Modi, who is expected to win reelection, has increasingly been tied to Hindu nationalism, or “Hindutva” — the idea that India should favor Hinduism, rather than being secular. Modi has also touted India's recent progress in tech and manufacturing. Some in the U.S. see India as a regional alternative to China amid rising tensions.
Key Quote: Some accused Modi of anti-Muslim hate speech over a Sunday campaign speech in which he said, as translated by The New York Times (Lean Left bias), that his opposition party predecessor had “said that Muslims have the first right to the wealth of the nation. This means they will distribute this wealth to those who have more children, to infiltrators.” Modi said the main opposition Congress party planned to redistribute wealth from Hindus to Muslims, the country’s largest minority.
How the Media Covered It: Original coverage was rare in U.S. right-rated outlets, which instead sometimes used wire service articles from AP (Lean Left bias). Left-rated outlets were more likely to feature criticism of Modi for his comments about India’s Muslims.
Featured Coverage of this Story
From the Center
Indians vote in huge election dominated by jobs, Hindu pride and ModiThe first of India's almost one billion voters cast ballots on Friday in the country's multi-day election, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeks a rare third term on the back of issues such as growth, welfare and Hindu nationalism.
The vote pits Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) against an alliance of two dozen opposition parties that promise greater affirmative action and more handouts while stressing what they call the need to save democratic institutions.
Nearly 970 million people are eligible to vote in the seven-phase exercise, the world's largest election, which runs through the peak of...
From the Left
Why Did Modi Call India’s Muslims ‘Infiltrators’? Because He Could.Prime Minister Narendra Modi, his power at home secured and his Hindu-first vision deeply entrenched, has set his sights in recent years on a role as a global statesman, riding India’s economic and diplomatic rise. In doing so, he has distanced himself from his party’s staple work of polarizing India’s diverse population along religious lines for its own electoral gain.
His silence provided tacit backing as vigilante groups continued to target non-Hindu minority groups and as members of his party routinely used hateful and racist language, even in Parliament, against the largest...
From the Right
Elections kick off in India, world's largest democracyThe greatest exercise of democracy in the history of mankind — by the numbers, at least — kicked off Friday as almost 1 billion people began casting votes for the next leader and government of India.
In 2023, India overtook China as the world’s most populous country, with 1.4 billion citizens. Up for grabs in its elections are 543 seats in the Lok Sabha, which translates to “House of the People,” the lower house of the Indian Parliament.
According to Indian broadcaster NDTV, eligible voters number 968.6 million. That’s more than twice the population of...
AllSides Picks
May 3rd, 2024
May 3rd, 2024