[This is an excerpt from an article in The Round Table: The Commonwealth Journal of International Affairs and Policy Studies.]
The Troubling State of India’s Democracy edited by Sumit Ganguly, Dinsha Mistree and Larry Diamond provides a thorough and timely analysis of the present state of Indian democracy situating the nation’s decline within a broader comparative context, drawing parallels with countries like Brazil, Turkey and Hungary. The central argument is that Indian democracy is facing significant challenges due to the convergence of top-down and bottom-up forces driving Hindu nationalism. On one hand, the BJP and its leadership, under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, have systematically advanced a Hindutva agenda through reforms and institutional changes, on the other hand, there is growing popular support for such measures among segments of the Hindu electorate, reflecting a broader societal shift towards majoritarianism. The volume underlines that these dual forces – state-driven ideological shifts and societal demand for majoritarianism – are reinforcing each other, leading to the erosion of secularism, democratic institutions and minority rights in India.
This book brings together a wide group of scholars and is structured into three parts – Politics, State and Society – with 16 chapters, each addressing a different aspect of India’s democratic collapse. The scholars have employed a multidisciplinary approach, combining qualitative and quantitative analyses to examine Indian democracy.
The first part, Politics, explores the rise of the BJP as a dominant force and the decline of the Indian National Congress in Indian political history. Eswaran Sridharan’s chapter provides a detailed analysis of how the BJP has consolidated power through strategic alliances, organisational strength and the charismatic leadership of Narendra Modi. With the rise of BJP political expansion, Ashutosh Kumar’s chapter highlights how regional parties struggled to counter their dominance. Kumar suggests that regional parties need to move beyond caste-based populism and focus on governance and public goods delivery.
Uncertain about the fall of BJP in the near future, Maya Tudor asserts that India has already transitioned into a new dominant party system, one that is more effectively organised at the grassroots level, wielding significant financial resources and a formidable social media hold. This system is likely to be challenging to efforts to dismantle or oppose it in the future. She asserts that the redefinition of Indian nationalism around Hindu identity has fractured Indian democracy with marginalising minorities and undermined democratic inclusivity.
Emphasising the resilience of democratic institutions in India, Vinay Sitapati provides a counterpoint, focusing key trends – free and fair elections, counter-majoritarianism and civil liberties. While Modi’s leadership has strained democratic norms, elections, the core of democracy, remain strong. This critical component should not be overlooked.
The second part, The State, focuses on the erosion of key institutions, including the judiciary, bureaucracy, police and investigative agencies. Ronojoy Sen’s chapter on the Supreme Court critiques its failure to uphold civil liberties, while Yamini Aiyar and Arvind Verma analyse the politicisation of the bureaucracy and police, respectively. Ajay K. Mehra’s examination of investigative agencies like the Central Bureau of Investigation and National Investigation Agency reveals their misuse of targeting political opponents, further undermining democratic norms.
Building on this, Andrew Wyatt, John Echeverri and Aseema Sinha in their chapter argue that Modi’s governance has led to the erosion of economic pluralism, institutional integrity and democratic consultation, which undermines India’s long-term economic and democratic potential. Kanta Murali’s analysis points that the federal structure has also faced significant upheavals under the Modi government, drawing parallels to the centralisation seen during Indira Gandhi’s era.
The third part, Society – examines the impact of Hindu nationalism on civil society, media and social cohesion. Rahul Mukherji examines how the state has systematically stifled dissent and reshaped civil society to align with its Hindu nationalist agenda. Thomas Blom Hansen builds on this by arguing that while overt communal violence has declined, the rise of Hindu majoritarianism and anti-Muslim rhetoric has fostered a pervasive atmosphere of fear and stigma for minorities, further eroding social harmony. Christophe Jaffrelot extends this analysis, pointing out how the BJP’s rise has legitimised upper-caste social norms and hierarchical Hinduism, often enforced through vigilante groups and cultural policing, which reinforce exclusionary practices.
Amid growing concerns about the state of Indian democracy, the decline of media integrity has emerged as a critical issue. Tabrez Neyazi and Joyojeet Pal argue that the Modi government has systematically controlled traditional media by limiting access, favouring compliant journalists and promoting a one-sided, pro-government narrative, while simultaneously leveraging platforms like WhatsApp for disinformation, polarisation and strategic political campaigning.
Monika is with Boston University, USA and the Indian Institute of Technology, Indore, India & Pritee Sharma is with the Indian Institute of Technology Indore, India.
The troubling state of India’s democracy edited by Dinsha Mistree, Sumit Ganguly and Larry Diamond, Ann Arbor, University of Michigan Press, 2024.
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