How Indian general elections have a strong message for the world – Firstpost

India is one of the most important players on the global stage, so Indian elections are important. The world has become accustomed to dealing with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and vice versa.

Modi has been the face of India’s foreign policy, but will that continue? Or will a coalition force him to focus more on domestic politics? This seems unlikely today, as India’s foreign policy is largely multi-party and Modi is not new to this scene. Partners and rivals should therefore not expect change. No, unless something bad happens later this week.

It’s not just about politics; it is also a question of perceptions. We have received many critical comments, particularly from Western countries. They questioned India’s judicial process, the timing of elections and even whether they were free and fair.

Well, that should answer all the criticisms. Indian democracy is alive and well. The ruling camp saw its majority reduced. Yet the Indians did not resort to violence nor did they march to Parliament. They did not say the election was “stolen” and accepted the results.

Same with the opposition, which raised issues with the voting process and accepted the mandate. In fact, that was the first thing the Congress president said upon accepting the results.

However, the question is to what extent this will satisfy Western agencies and pollsters. Or is Indian democracy still in danger?

India ranked 27th in the EIU Democracy Index in 2014. In 2023, the ranking fell to 41st, with India being dubbed an “imperfect democracy”. Another index is the V-Dem, prepared by a Swedish university. In 2018, this index declared India an “electoral autocracy”.

But the results of June 4 do not support this categorization. This is not how an imperfect democracy votes. The ruling BJP got around 37 percent of the votes. Compared to real autocracies – in Russia, President Putin won 87% of the vote, in Iran the last presidential winner won 72% of the vote – this is what autocracy looks like. However, the West wants to link India with these countries.

This is simply a smear campaign, and Tuesday’s results should serve as a wake-up call that Indian democracy is not in danger and that Indian voters were not wrong. They are actually quite intelligent and know how to vote.

In Delhi, all seven seats went to the BJP, but in the legislative elections, it was the other way around, since the Aam Aadmi Party enjoyed a large majority there.

The same is true in Karnataka, where last year voters voted for a Congress government, but this year the BJP won a majority of seats in the Lok Sabha elections in the state. This applies to some extent in Odisha, where the BJP swept the parliamentary polls, winning 20 of the 21 Lok Sabha seats and ousting the 24-year-old Naveen Patnaik government with an overwhelming majority in the elections. the Assembly, obtaining 78 seats. the Chamber, composed of 147 members.

This justifies the sagacity of Indian voters. This is quite different from what we see in other countries, for example the United States. Up to 50 U.S. states can vote in elections, but only seven swing states count. Others never change their minds, whether it’s record inflation or endless foreign wars – a blue state will stay blue and a red state will stay red – and yet it is claimed that the Indian voter s ‘is deceived.

The West should stop underestimating and insulting Indian voters. They should learn to respect the Indian process; as for the Global South, it is a source of inspiration. The value of democracy is declining globally as we see coups and hostile takeovers. This election therefore sends a strong message that democracy works. It is the best form of government, not just in rich Western countries, but everywhere else.

India should therefore be proud of this election; it sent a message to everyone, especially the West, that Indian democracy is healthy and to the South that democracy still works.

The opinions expressed in the article above are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Firstpost.