DEMOCRACY AT A CROSSROADS

Indians acknowledge progress in infrastructure and welfare, yet worry about democratic institutions, corruption and cohesion

- KAUSHIK DEKA

The August 2025 poll for the India Today Mood of the Nation (MOTN) offers a telling portrait of Indian democracy in flux, marked by contradictions, anxieties and a measure of guarded optimism. In contrast to the triumphalist narratives that have defined the 11 years of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the findings reveal a nation that remains proud of its democratic journey, yet uneasy about its direction. Public opinion reflects both recognition of tangible gains in infrastructure and governance and mounting anxiety over the fragility of democratic institutions. Support for the Modi-led NDA government's flagship ideas persists, but it is tempered by growing apprehension about corruption, institutional credibility and social cohesion, evidence of an electorate increasingly unwilling to extend the government an unqualified benefit of the doubt.

Take democracy itself. Almost half of respondents—48.3 per cent—believe India’s democracy is ‘in danger’, the highest since 2021. This is not a sudden outburst, but a steady progression from earlier surveys, suggesting that what once seemed like a worry at the margins is now a mainstream sentiment. And yet, paradoxically, a majority still claims they feel free to express their views on both politics and religion. The contradiction is telling. Indians may continue to exercise their voice in private spaces or local contexts, but there is an unmistakable perception that the larger architecture of democracy—its institutions, its checks and balances—is weakening. The anxiety is less about whether one can speak, and more about whether speaking matters.

Anxieties over Institutions