India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi speaks with the media inside the parliament premises upon his arrival on the first day of the budget session in New Delhi, India, January 31, 2024. —ReutersNEW DELHI: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi´s third-term win on Tuesday was not the landslide victory he had wanted, but it still provides the mandate to power his Hindu nationalist agenda forward, analysts say. Victory for Modi -- whose Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and allies were on track to win 291 out of 543 elected seats -- was forged in large part by the premier´s appeal to the Hindu faithful, worrying minorities including the country´s 200-million-plus Muslim community. Modi´s decade as premier has seen him cultivate an image as an aggressive champion of the country´s majority faith, holding well-publicised temple visits, fasts and meditations to burnish his religious credentials. “God has chosen us to serve Bharat (India) and fulfil our role in our country´s journey towards excellence,” Modi wrote in an op-ed Monday in the Indian Express, using the country´s name in Sanskrit, a word dating back to ancient Hindu scriptures.

Source: The Nation June 04, 2024 22:54 UTC