Parliamentary Elections in India

Introduction: On Friday,19th April 2024 – the largest democratic elections in the world will begin in India to elect the members of the 18th Lok Sabha. 

The elections will decide the fate of thousands of candidates from six recognised national parties – including the BJP, the Congress, Delhi’s governing Aam Aadmi Party and the Communist Party of India (Marxist) – as well as 58 recognised state-level parties. Candidates from many smaller parties will also be in the fray.

Article: “Modi ki Guarantee” – “Modi is the guarantee” is currently on posters, flyers and picture boards to be read everywhere in India. This is even more confident than the slogan of German permanent chancellor Angela Merkel, who said for themselves in 2013 with the phrase “You know me”. And won.

Economic success comes at the expense of the poor

The economy is booming, the infrastructure is getting better – and society is becoming increasingly polarized, as in so many countries around the world. In India, this is reflected in Hindu nationalism – at the expense of minorities and freedom of speech and the press. 

This includes the economic success story that has brought India to fifth place in the world’s leading economies since its coming to power in 2014. Even if, as everywhere else in the world, the gap between the poor and the rich has opened up. According to a study from January this year, one percent of Indians own more than 40 percent of prosperity in the country. This is also an effect of ten years of the BJP government. But the opposition cannot capitalize on this circumstance, which affects 99 percent of the population.

Prime Minister Modi is considered modest and non-corruptible

He is considered modest and non-corruptible, even if the two richest Indians, Gautam Adani and Mukesh Ambani, are among his close advisers. Adani even bought NDTV last year, until then one of the last critical media portals, which was then brought to the government line. The economy is behind Modi and the BJP. At the moment it seems – even that is not unusual in the Indian election campaign – as if Modi were doing everything right and as if the voters would rather rely on the winner. The opposition is helpless.

One main goal of the ruling party: more jobs for young people

Almost 16 percent of young people in the age group of 15-29 year olds remained unemployed due to a lack of qualifications and a lack of high-quality jobs. The government wants to focus on creating jobs in the areas of infrastructure, aviation, rail, electromobility, green energy, semiconductors and pharmaceuticals.