While the United States is facing this November perhaps one of the most crucial elections in its history, many democracies all over the world are choosing representatives in various capacities. Although all the elections bear significance on a global scale, perhaps none will have as widespread ramifications as those of India. Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of the most populous democracy on Earth since being sworn in in April of 2014, is vying for a third term in office. As a comfortable favorite, Narendra Modi is attempting to expand his party’s — the BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) — control in the Lok Sabha, the lower parliamentary body of the two in India’s bicameral Parliament.

With well over 950 million of India’s 1.417 billion able to vote, the six-week general election ending on June 6th is a staggering exercise in democracy, with a variety of implications for the world and citizens of what is newly the world’s most populated country, having surpassed China in 2023. However, while indeed a testament to Indian democracy as a whole, the dangers of such a system are being simultaneously highlighted. the Muslim minority, with over 200 million members, remains on a political backfoot as Modi and the BJP preach a Hindu-nationalist rhetoric. This polarization along the lines of religion has marred Modi’s government’s expansive economic growth and advancement as a global power, seeing a rise in hate crimes against individuals of the Islamic faith. A LJHS Freshman, who has chosen to remain anonymous, says of the incumbent: “He may be good for some of the population – the Hindu population – but he doesn’t represent everyone.” Critics also label Modi as an authoritarian, imposing his will upon various governmental institutions, as well as obfuscating the line between religion and state.