There are "three big ones" in India's general election: a large number of voters, a large collection of election issues, and a big show by various politicians.
India holds a new round of parliamentary elections from April 19 to June 1, 2024, which will last for six weeks. Given that India already has a population of more than 1.4 billion, the world's largest election, of which 969 million are eligible to vote, or about one-eighth of the global population, this is the largest general election ever held in the world. Whether it is the latest pre-election polls, or public opinion at home and abroad in India, they are generally optimistic about the prospect of the current Prime Minister Modi leading the BJP to a second re-election. Regarding this election, it seems that "big" can be used as a key word, and in addition to the largest population, there are at least the following highlights.
Election issues are brought together
The election was mainly between the ruling BJP-led National League for Democracy and the newly formed opposition grand coalition led by the Congress Party, the Inclusive Alliance for National Development of India (INDIA). The two camps are fiercely competing over issues such as economic development, social and people's livelihood, and "Hindu state".
On economic and livelihood issues, on April 14, 2024, the BJP released a campaign manifesto called "Modi's Pledge", reviewing the achievements of the past government and putting forward a series of ambitious campaign slogans, committed to achieving high economic growth through "low inflation and prudent fiscal policy", promoting "India to become the world's third largest economy" and "building India into a global manufacturing center by 2030". At the same time, the BJP has vowed to expand welfare programs to include free health insurance for all Indians over the age of 70, push for piped cooking gas in all households, increase the loan ceiling for non-farm small and micro borrowers, provide free housing for 30 million poor people, continue to provide free food to 800 million poor people, and so on.
However, the Congress party scoffed at this, saying that "the BJP's election platform is full of empty promises" and that "during the past 10 years of the BJP's rule, unemployment and inflation have soared, severely impacting the lives of ordinary people, especially young people, who are struggling to make ends meet". In addition, the Congress Party has made a number of livelihood commitments in its election platform, such as increasing welfare spending for women, providing 3 million government jobs, and providing more internship opportunities for university graduates.
On the issue of a "Hindu state", the BJP and its parent organization, the National Volunteer Corps, have always intended to build India into a "pure Hindu state", and the BJP has introduced a series of specific policies to implement its philosophy during its 10-year administration. It can be said that Hindu nationalism has become the mainstream ideology in Indian society today, and several important ideologies in Indian society, such as secularism and left-wing ideology, have been seriously impacted or even marginalized. It is widely predicted in India and abroad that the BJP government will step up its practice of "Hindu state" after being re-elected. For example, Modi's pledge campaign manifesto included the implementation of the Uniform Civil Code (UCC), the global celebration of Ramayana, a Hindu holiday, and the expansion of tourism and related facilities in the Hindu holy city of Ayodhya.
In response, the Congress party has responded with a-for-tat pledge to "stop India from sliding into autocracy". Congress leader Rahul has also said that "Hindu faith is not the same thing as 'Hindu supremacy'", accusing the BJP and the National Volunteer Corps of misinterpreting Hindu teachings and spreading hatred in Indian society. The BJP has denied reports that minorities in India often face discrimination and attacks and are forced to become "second-class citizens." In addition, Freedom House, an international civil liberties movement, said it had classified India as a "partially free" country in light of the soaring number of harassments of journalists and others who dared to question the Indian government, arguing that "the BJP government has introduced a series of discriminatory policies that have intensified the repression and persecution of the Muslim population." ”
All kinds of politicians put on a big show
It should be pointed out that in the previous two rounds of Indian general elections, the personal charisma of the prime minister candidate often surpassed that of his political party, and became a key factor in determining the voter vote. In the 2019 general election, for example, nearly one-third of voters who voted for the BJP said they would not necessarily vote for the BJP if Modi was not a candidate for prime minister. Because of this, the current Prime Minister Modi and Congress Party leader Rahul, who are the leaders of the two camps, continue to appear, and even shout at each other in the air, trying to add points to the election with their charisma.
For example, in addition to the BJP's campaign promises to be named after him, Modi has also frequently participated in various campaign rallies and has always maintained high exposure. On the one hand, he portrayed himself as the spokesperson and guardian of the Indian people, saying that "the ambition of 1.4 billion Indians is Modi's mission." On the other hand, he expressed his stance on social and livelihood issues, saying that "we will always pay attention to the dignity and quality of life of the people, and strive to invest in infrastructure, aviation, railways, electric vehicles, green energy, semiconductors, pharmaceuticals and other industries to create more opportunities for the people."
In order to boost the election, Congress leader Rahul himself launched the "Unite India for Justice" march in India, covering thousands of kilometers and covering many regional states in India, to increase visibility in India. Rahul also stepped up his use of new media, posting on unemployment on X: "This time, young people will not fall into Modi's trap and will believe that Congress has the power to bring about a 'jobs revolution in India'." In this regard, many analysts in India believe that "although the propaganda slogan is not as attractive as the BJP, Rahul has become a symbol and representative of those who are dissatisfied with Modi".
As mentioned above, there are "three big ones" in India's general election: a large number of voters, a large collection of election issues, and a big show by politicians of all kinds. However, in the aftermath of the hustle and bustle of the elections, ordinary people still have to face their daily lives, and their real concern remains their livelihoods. According to The Hindu, a pollster of 10,000 voters in 19 states in India found that 27 percent of voters were most concerned about unemployment, while 23 percent of residents were most concerned about rising prices. Statistics show that India's unemployment rate has risen from 4.9% in 2013-2014 to 5.4% in 2022-2023, while 16% of urban youth in the 15-29 age group are unemployed. Therefore, no matter how powerful the "old immortals" are, they must ultimately settle down on how to really create jobs for the people, and ensure the stable and sufficient supply of rice, potatoes, and onions, which are the staple foods of the people.
Source: "China Institute of Contemporary International Relations" WeChat public account
Author: Wang Shida
Editor: Hu Liang
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