Indian Election Delivers Surprise Setback for Modi’s Nationalist Alliance

In a stunning rebuke to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s right-wing, Hindu-nationalist agenda, India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) failed to secure an outright majority in the country’s general election, despite pre-election predictions of a landslide victory. The results mark a major setback for Modi, who had sought a third term to cement his transformative vision for India.

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Going into the election, Modi had set an ambitious goal of winning 400 seats in the 543-seat lower house of parliament, the Lok Sabha. However, as vote tallies began to emerge, it became clear that the BJP would fall well short of that target, winning just 240 seats – far below the 272 required for a parliamentary majority.

This outcome represents a significant blow to Modi’s agenda of remaking India as a Hindu-first nation. While the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) will still form the next government, Modi will now be reliant on longstanding coalition partners to stay in power, limiting his ability to push through radical changes unopposed.

The election results suggest that large swaths of Indian voters have rejected Modi’s divisive brand of Hindu nationalism, which has been accused of marginalizing the country’s Muslim minority and fueling religious polarization. Opposition parties, who are expected to win a combined 235 seats, have hailed the outcome as a victory for pluralism and a restoration of checks and balances on the BJP’s ambitions.

Despite his personal popularity, Modi now faces a humbling reality check. The Indian electorate has clearly signaled that it wants the country’s democratic institutions and secular character preserved, even as the BJP retains a solid foothold in government. As Modi navigates his third term, he will need to tread carefully, tempering his transformative vision to accommodate the diverse voices that make up the world’s largest democracy.