With democracy under threat in Narendra Modi’s India, how free and fair will this year’s election be?

Sun, 12 May 2024 12:58:09 +1000

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

Andrew Pam
<https://theconversation.com/with-democracy-under-threat-in-narendra-modis-india-how-free-and-fair-will-this-years-election-be-226321>

"India’s prime minister, Narendra Modi, is favoured to win reelection when
India’s 970 million voters start heading to the polls on April 19 in the
country’s massive, six-week general election.

Modi, who has been prime minister since 2014, has benefited from a divided
opposition, glowing mainstream media coverage and high economic growth rates.

However, recent polling indicates significant voter discontent over inflation
and unemployment. While 44% of respondents want the Modi government to return
to power, a sizeable 39% do not want his Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) to be
reelected.

Moreover, Modi’s election campaign has been tainted by several events in recent
weeks:

* the arrest of a major opposition leader in what his party says was a
“conspiracy” by Modi’s government

* the freezing of the accounts of the major opposition Congress party over a
tax dispute

* revelations of heavily skewed political financing favouring Modi’s party.

These incidents have raised concerns about how free and fair India’s election
will actually be."

Cheers,
       *** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net               Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/                 Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/            Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/               Manager, Serious Cybernetics

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