From April 19 to June 1, 2024, India’s parliamentary elections will be held to elect the lower house of the Indian Parliament and the Prime Minister. The two party alliances, the NDA and INDIA, are pointing fingers at each other over corruption, while politicians’ legal troubles are making headlines.
In less than a week’s time, the Indian legislative elections will begin. This year’s elections feature two major party alliances, the NDA (National Democratic Alliance) and the INDIA (Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance).
The NDA comprises around thirty parties, one of which is led by the outgoing Prime Minister Narendra Modi, from the BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party). This alliance is the most advanced in the race, with 70% of voting intentions according to a Times Now and ETG poll.
INDIA, with 26 parties, represents the opposition, led by the Indian National Congress, which held power until 2014. This broad alliance allows the opposition to present a united front against the NDA, whose popularity has been built on a program of nationalist and anti-colonial ideology.
An opposition undermined by the current government
As for the image of harmony, we’ll have to wait and see. INDIA is struggling to retain its members, who are the target of numerous judicial inquiries. Charges that disappear once the suspect joins Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s party. In recent months, at least 12 opposition leaders facing criminal charges have chosen to join the BJP, according to a report by The Wire.
The INDIA alliance is seriously weakened by the incarceration of several of its party leaders, such as Arvind Kejriwal, party chief Aam Aadmi, and the Delhi state chief minister, who was arrested on March 21.
Amnesty International had stated the day after his arrest that “Repression against the opposition is reaching a critical point as national elections approach.” According to a survey by Indian Express, which is partly owned by an individual closely associated with Narendra Modi, 95% of investigations into politicians from the Directorate of Enforcement (ED), the government agency responsible for financial crimes, targeted members of the opposition.
In a cruel irony, the leader of Aam Aadmi was accused of taking bribes, even though he had founded his party by proposing an anti-corruption program directed against the BJP.
“It’s a political conspiracy,” denounced his party, which accuses the ED of being under the control of the BJP.
Government-friendly media
The numerous arrests are not the only threats facing the opposition: the Congress party had its bank accounts frozen in February, and even the use of the INDIA alliance name is due to be examined by the courts, a week before the start of the elections.
In this battle for opinions, India is struggling to be convincing. The Indian media constantly broadcast its setbacks, a coverage that aligns with the fact that, in recent years, they have fallen into the hands of billionaires close to Prime Minister Modi.
“Since mainstream media is effectively an echo chamber celebrating the Modi government, it is unsurprising that the opposition struggles,” explains Maya Tudor, Associate Professor at Oxford University’s Blavatnik School of Government.
