India
India exhibits mid-range performance across the Global State of Democracy categories of Representation, Rule of Law and Participation and low performance in Rights. Over the past decade, it has experienced significant improvements in Basic Welfare, likely due to steady gains in infant mortality rates, poverty rates, life expectancy and literacy. However, it has experienced significant five-year declines in Free Political Parties, Civic Engagement, Civil Liberties and six other measures of democracy. In International IDEA's Perceptions of Democracy Survey, India stood out for high trust in government.
Home to the world’s largest population, India boasts the world’s fifth-largest economy, which is dependent on agriculture, industrial production, IT and business services outsourcing, and retail services, amongst others; the informal sector accounts for more than 80 per cent of non-agricultural employment. Despite its large and highly diversified economy, poverty remains prevalent throughout the country.
At independence and as the result of centuries of openness to communities from other countries, modern-day India is home to a diverse population, including several religious communities and 22 official linguistic groups (though there are many more unofficial languages). India's secular identity and reputation for pluralism and multiculturalism has been threatened by the rise of Hindu nationalism in recent years. The broader struggle to find a middle ground between these ideologies has come to shape politics and reflects the ethnic, religious and socioeconomic cleavages that 90 years of direct British colonial rule helped establish. The questions of identity left by colonial rule and its use of divide-and-rule, wealth extraction and institutionalized racism and discrimination continue to be debated today.
Since 2016, India has exhibited weak performance in Freedom of Religion. Critics have pointed to a series of laws and policies that they say have particularly targeted Muslims, including a law for fast-tracking citizenship in some cases that excludes Muslims. Hindu nationalist parties have benefitted, however, from a weak opposition whose reputation has been marred by corruption. Moreover, they have enjoyed success based on an expanding middle class and the party’s delivery on social services.
Despite five-year declines in Credible Elections and Judicial Independence, partly due to pressure on opposition parties that included the near-disqualification of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on defamation charges, important court rulings leveled the playing field and allowed more participation by opposition leaders. India has also been recently castigated for restrictions on the freedom of expression, increasingly consolidated and co-opted media ownership, internet shutdowns and the suppression of the freedom of association.
Despite being one of the first countries in the world to be led by a female prime minister, the country has struggled to address gender inequality, with particular problems regarding violence and discrimination against women. Notably, however, women’s voter turnout often exceeds male turnout and local gender quotas have had success in empowering women.
Looking ahead, it will be important to watch Rights, especially as contestation over the identity of India continues. Moreover, the government’s response to criticism, both domestic and international, will be an important marker of how open the environment is to diversity of thought and expression and will impact Checks on Government. A gender quota requiring assemblies to set aside at least one-third of seats for women will come into effect for the 2029 general elections, likely impacting Gender Equality. Finally, the continuing struggle to address poverty and high economic inequality will impact what has been a positive trajectory for Basic Welfare.
Last Updated: June 2024
https://www.idea.int/democracytracker/
November 2024
Supreme Court declares arbitrary demolitions unconstitutional
On 14 November, the Supreme Court issued a landmark ruling declaring the practice widely known as “bulldozer justice” illegal – a practice in which state governments demolish homes and businesses after communal conflicts or acts of political dissent. The Court issued guidelines and mandated that authorities provide a reason and give at least 15 days’ notice to occupants before demolishing unauthorized structures. Legal and rights experts have welcomed the decision, hoping it will stop arbitrary demolitions, which have reportedly targeted minority communities protesting discriminatory laws. The government responded favourably to the ruling, while members of the Bharatiya Janata Party clarified that bulldozers were only being used on unauthorized structures and encroachment – adding that the Court has imposed no ban on this.
Sources: International IDEA, The New York Times, Times of India, Bharat National, Supreme Court of India
October 2024
Jammu and Kashmir hold first local election in ten years
Jammu and Kashmir held its first local election in a decade from 18 September to 1 October, following the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019. This abrogation removed Jammu & Kashmir’s autonomous status and split the region into two Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh. The National Conference (NC) party and its alliance partners secured 48 out of 90 assembly seats (53.3 per cent), while the nationally-ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) secured 29 seats (32.2 per cent). Voter turnout was 63.9 per cent, slightly lower than 65.5 per cent in the last election in 2014. Despite 41 women contesting the polls, only three women secured seats in the 90-member assembly, compared to two in the previous election. The Election Commission and observers noted that the polls were held peacefully, in contrast with the 2014 election.
Sources: International IDEA, Hindustan Times, Deutsche Welle, Election Commission of India, South Asian Voices, The Hindu
June 2024
Ruling party claims victory in general election
India held its general elections from 19 April to 1 June, conducted over seven phases. The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of Prime Minister Narendra Modi won 240 seats, falling short of an outright majority, and needed to form a coalition government for the first time. The opposition INDIA alliance, led by the Indian National Congress party, secured 232 seats. Voter turnout was 65.8 per cent, down from 67.4 per cent in the 2019 election. Women’s political representation decreased slightly with 74 women elected (13.5 per cent) , down from 78 (14.4 per cent) in the 2019 election. The election occurred against a backdrop of an intense heatwave that left at least 30 poll workers dead, according to media reports. Democracy experts have noted that the election was well-organized by the Election Commission in a transparent and accountable manner, despite some concerns related to an uneven playing field favouring the ruling party, opposition leaders’ imprisonment, media restrictions and alleged hate speech against Muslims during campaigning.
Sources: Election Commission of India, International IDEA, Indian Express, Westminster Foundation for Democracy, Policy Center for the New South, Reuters
May 2024
Supreme Court grants bail to Arvind Kejriwal
On 10 May, Arvind Kejriwal, leader of the Aam Admi Party (ADP) and Delhi State Chief Minister, was granted interim bail by the Supreme Court (SC) until 1 June, allowing him to campaign for the Lok Sabha elections. Kejriwal had been arrested in March on corruption charges, which critics argued were politically motivated. While his supporters welcomed the decision, viewing it as an affirmation of due process and a fairer playing field, Union Home Minister Amit Shah criticized the judgment, claiming it was not “routine” and suggested preferential treatment. The SC denied these allegations, stating that “we said in our order what we felt was justified.”
Update: On 13 September, India's Supreme Court granted bail to Arvind Kejriwal, citing that his trial is unlikely to be completed for some time and that his "prolonged incarceration amounts to unjust deprivation of liberty." Kejriwal had been in jail for nearly five months.
Sources: International IDEA, Times of India, The Hindustan Times, The Indian Express, The Economic Times, BBC News
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