India has a first-past-the-post multiparty electoral system in which the candidate who receives the most votes wins. Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party and his main challenger, Rahul Gandhi of the Indian National Congress, represent Parliament’s two largest factions. During the polls Modi escalated polarizing rhetoric in incendiary speeches that targeted the country’s Muslim minority. Many watchdogs have now categorized India as a “hybrid regime” that is neither a full democracy nor a full autocracy. Another key issue is India’s large economy, which is among the fastest growing in the world.

Source: The Nation June 03, 2024 19:52 UTC