Towards A Unicorn Democracy

Will the BJP make a course correction in its third term?

- Ajay Gudavarthy

INDIA’S 2024 General Election began as a dull affair and ended up as perhaps the most interesting phenomenon observed in the recent past. The election began as a traumatic experience for the electorate that could not endorse either of the blocs—the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) or the INDIA bloc. The electorate ended up passing on the trauma to the rulers for the rest of the term. The existential economic crisis that the majority of the people are facing on the ground has been converted into instability for the ruling alliance. It will be a constant reminder to not take ‘the people’ for granted. They cannot be taken for a ride. They were part of the ride to fulfil their own aspirations that was read by the strongman as unadulterated admiration that reached its pinnacle in the shift of the narrative from being a chowkidar to being divinely ordained and avinashi.

The verdict clearly states that they disapprove of Narendra Modi’s hubris, but are not yet prepared to trust the opposition parties. They have left both the ruling alliance and the opposition in a tantalising equation for the rest of the term; it will now be a virtual see-saw battle. It will be of great interest to watch if Modi can reinvent himself into a more affable persona who can carry people, and more importantly, diverse views and dissent.

The election was a battle between authoritarian populism and liberal constitutionalism. What the electorate seems to be hinting at is the need to reinvent both ends of the spectrum to produce a