Editor,
The election to the 18th Lok Sabha, which saw over 600 million voters exercising their franchise, was the largest in democratic history. Although Narendra Modi has secured a third term as India’s leader, his party lost its majority in Parliament.
During the election campaign, he had claimed that his party would win 400 seats, but it failed to achieve even a simple majority of 272 seats.
To form a government, Modi will now need to rely on coalition partners who do not share his Hindu-nationalist agenda. This could lead to challenges in governing smoothly and potential deadlocks in implementing policies.
Modi’s victory may also pose challenges for India’s diverse population. Before the elections, he had expressed intentions to amend the Constitution. With renewed mandate, he might pursue these changes. Such moves could alarm the minority communities, who fear marginalisation.
Jubel D’Cruz,
Mumbai