#2022stateelections

February 10th marked the first day of the 2022 elections for each of the five states in India. Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) currently holds the power in four of the five states, something he looks to keep as several opposing parties seek to regain power. The elections as a whole are widely expected to be a vote regarding the handling of the BJP government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic in terms of healthcare infrastructure collapsing, resulting in hundreds of thousands of deaths, as well as two lockdowns resulting in unemployment for millions of people. In addition to the pandemic, there has been talk of identity politics replacing governance issues, specifically the “explosion of hate speech against Muslims”, resulting in a lack of responsiveness from the police. As has been previously established, Narendra Modi and the BJP have benefitted from the polarization of “Hindus vs. Muslims”, as Hindu people make up 80% of India’s population. An important aspect of this election is the BJP’s ability to keep control of Uttar Pradesh, India’s largest state with more than 150 million voters. Modi’s Hindu nationalist ideas have been the most popular throughout this state especially. In an interview from The World, Nitu Malik, a former teacher, and BJP supporter is quoted saying, “that by steering the country towards Hinduism, the BJP is forging a central identity for Indians”. State election voting ends on March 10th, so there is still time for Modi and the BJP to continue campaigning, hoping for continued government control.  

All eyes are on Uttar Pradesh, currently controlled by Narendra Modi and the BJP government, as voters head to the polls. The BJP’s Yogi Adityanath, Uttar Pradesh’s Chief Minister and Hindu monk-turned-politician is up for re-election, looking to solidify a continued government seat for Modi. In an NPR interview, Vijay Bahadur Pathak, BJP state vice president stated that “ the BJP has built houses and toilets for the poor without differentiating between their caste and religion. No one can claim the benefits of government schemes have reached only Hindus and not Muslims”. For a while, the BJP has been on a quest to begin funding and construction on big-ticket projects to improve the economy, create jobs, refurbish current buildings, and build infrastructure. In Ayodhya, India, a three-story temple, which has been demanded by Hindus for over 100 years, is finally under construction by the BJP government with the hopes of pleasing the general will of the people. Modi is pressing his government to make grand promises to please all people: farmers and city folk alike. Though, the party’s core ideals of the Hindu nationalist agenda can not be missed. “Many Hindus have now been persuaded to believe that India’s biggest problem is its Muslims”. At this point, it seems like the country’s Muslim population has no fight left. They are unmatched by the great power of Modi’s populist government, and Modi would like to keep it that way.  

Scattered all over India, but most specifically in Uttar Pradesh, are poor communities in search of help and guidance towards a better life. With the elections being held in the shadow of the pandemic, people all over India are in even greater need than ever. Narendra Modi needs the voting to go in his favor so he has continued power in states around India. Without having those in support of Hindu nationalism in government positions, the ability to further push his agenda is essentially hopeless. In Populism: A Very Short Introduction, Mudde and Kaltwasser reference how “populism can be merged completely with nationalism, when the distinction between the people and the elite is both moral and ethnic” (Mudde and Kaltwasser, 2017, pg. 14). The book also references populism as appealing to the “general will” of the people. Additionally, John B. Judis’ “Us v Them: the birth of populism” references Donald Trump’s ability to connect with the “silent majority”. The connection can be made to Modi connecting with India’s poor “silent majority”, speaking for those with no voice. Modi and the BJP use both their Hindu nationalism as well as appealing to the needs of the poor communities around the country to gain support, further pushing their governmental power, with the underlying help to spread xenophobia towards the Muslim population in India.