Starting this month, the world’s biggest election will take place, with nearly 1 billion eligible Indian voters.
Opinion polls indicate a strong likelihood of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) securing a third consecutive term, matching a historical record.
These are the main issues in the upcoming elections for the Lok Sabha, the lower house of parliament. The elections will be held in seven phases between April 19 and June 1, with vote counting on June 4.
Lok Sabha Elections 2024: Key Election Issues
Economic Development , Inflation
India’s economy has been on a roll, growing at an impressive rate of around 8% in the last fiscal year that ended on March 31. This makes it the fastest-growing major economy in the world, which is pretty cool. Over the past decade, under Prime Minister Modi’s leadership, India has climbed up the global economic ladder, moving from the tenth to the fifth position. Should Modi emerge victorious in the upcoming election, he has pledged to propel India to the third rank.
One of the most visible signs of India’s economic boom has been the shiny new roads and bridges popping up all over the country, especially in and around the major cities of New Delhi and Mumbai. It’s like the country has gotten a major facelift!
However, while the cities are definitely feeling the love from the economic growth, the countryside hasn’t quite caught up yet. To ensure that everyone benefits from the booming economy, much work remains.
Another issue that’s been causing some concern is the rise in prices. Retail inflation has been creeping up, going from 5.5% in 2021/22 to 6.7% in 2022/23. That’s higher than the previous year’s 6.2%, too. In February, the annual retail inflation rate was 5.09%, which is still pretty significant.
Welfare Policies
Since the COVID-19 pandemic hit, the Indian government has been stepping up to help out its citizens by providing free food rations to a whopping 814 million people out of the country’s total population of 1.42 billion. While this is definitely a noble effort, some critics have pointed out that the fact that nearly 60% of the population needs this kind of support is a sign that the country’s economic growth hasn’t been as evenly distributed as it should be.
In fact, by the end of last year, the richest people in India owned a staggering 40.1% of the country’s wealth, which is the highest it’s been since 1961. And when it comes to income, the top earners took home 22.6% of the total, the most since way back in 1922. These numbers come from a study by the World Inequality Lab, and they definitely raise some eyebrows.
But Modi and his BJP party have been trying to win over voters, especially women, by focusing on their welfare. They’ve been offering cash handouts and domestic benefits like piped water, 24/7 electricity, and cooking gas connections. It’s a smart move, considering how important these basic necessities are for daily life. We’ll have to wait and see if it pays off in the polls!
Hindu Reawakening
Back in January, Modi led this huge consecration ceremony for a grand temple dedicated to the Hindu god Ram. The temple is being built on a site that many Hindus believe is Ram’s birthplace, and it’s been a major goal of the BJP, Modi’s Hindu-nationalist party, for like 35 years. The thing is, there used to be a 16th-century mosque on that same spot, but a Hindu mob tore it down in 1992 because they thought it was built over a demolished temple from the time of the Mughal ruler Babur.
Modi’s been making a big show of visiting Hindu temples all over the country, and the news channels are always broadcasting it. Political analysts say this is a smart move because it reinforces his image as the champion of the Hindu majority, which is the BJP’s main support base.
But not everyone’s happy about it. A lot of Muslims feel like the government is pushing policies that go against their interests. The BJP says they work for everyone and don’t appease any particular group, which is a jab at opposition parties that have traditionally relied on Muslim support.
For example, Modi’s government has cut off federal funding for Muslim schools, called madrasas, and some BJP-controlled states have either shut down a bunch of them or are planning to, even though Muslim leaders are opposed to it.
There’s also this controversial citizenship law that Modi put in place, which critics say discriminates against Muslims. Basically, it grants Indian nationality to Hindus, Parsis, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, and Christians who fled to India from Muslim-majority countries like Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan before December 31, 2014, because of religious persecution. But it doesn’t include Muslims in that list, which has a lot of people upset.
Ram Mandir
Prime Minister Narendra Modi went ahead and inaugurated the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya just before the Lok Sabha elections. Now, people in the know were thinking that the Ram temple could be a major talking point in the mission of 24. And guess what? They were spot on! The topic of Ramlala’s inauguration came up in pretty much every BJP leader’s election campaign speeches.
But not everyone was thrilled about it. The opposition parties were calling out Modi, saying that his rushed inauguration of the Ram temple before it’s even fully built is just his way of playing the Hindutva card. They think he’s trying to win over all the Ram-loving Indians out there to score some extra votes in the Lok Sabha polls.
And that’s not all! The Supreme Court recently gave the green light for puja in Gyanbapi’s Tehkhana, which has given the BJP’s publicity machine a major boost. It’s like they’ve got all the right cards falling into place at just the right time.
So, there you have it. The Ram Mandir inauguration and the Gyanbapi puja permission have become hot topics in the lead-up to the elections, and everyone’s got an opinion on how it’s going to play out. It’s gonna be an interesting ride, that’s for sure!
Corruption
There’s this government agency that’s supposed to investigate suspected money laundering, right? Well, get this: in the past decade, they’ve summoned, questioned, raided, or even arrested close to 150 opposition politicians. That’s a pretty big number! But here’s the kicker – during that same time, they’ve only investigated about half a dozen politicians from the ruling party. Talk about a double standard!
The most high-profile arrest so far has been Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who’s a big shot in the opposition. But he’s denying any corruption, and Modi’s out there saying that agencies are free to investigate anyone they want, because he’s got this “zero-tolerance” policy on corruption. But the opposition politicians aren’t buying it. They’re calling out Modi, saying he’s just using these government agencies to target them and score some political points.
And then there’s the Congress party, which is like the main opposition party. They’re dealing with their own headaches, fighting off tax demands left and right. But they’re saying it’s all just an attempt to cripple them before the big vote.
So, there you have it. It’s a messy situation, with accusations flying all over the place. The opposition says Modi’s playing dirty, while Modi says he’s just trying to keep everyone honest. Who knows what’s really going on behind closed doors? All I know is, it’s gonna be one heck of an interesting election season!
Unemployment
Deal with Modi and the whole job situation in India. When he first came to power back in 2014, one of his big promises was to create a ton of jobs for all the young people in the country. But fast forward to now, and it looks like he hasn’t really delivered on that front.
According to the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy, which is a private group that keeps tabs on this stuff, the unemployment rate jumped up to 8% in February. That’s pretty high! And even the government’s own estimates show that the unemployment rate has been creeping up. In the fiscal year that just ended in March 2023, it hit 5.4%, which is a big jump from the 4.9% rate back in 2013/14, before Modi took over.
But here’s the real kicker: when you look at urban youth in the 15-29 age group, a whopping 16% of them were still unemployed in 2022/23. And it’s not just because there aren’t enough jobs to go around. The government data shows that a lot of these young people just don’t have the skills they need to land quality jobs. And get this – private agencies are saying the numbers could be even higher than what the government is reporting.
So, yeah, it’s a bit of a mess. Modi talked a big game about creating jobs, but it looks like he’s struggling to make it happen. And with so many young people out of work, it’s no wonder that unemployment has become such a hot-button issue in India. It’ll be interesting to see how this all plays out in the coming years, but for now, it’s definitely a challenge that Modi and his government will need to tackle head-on.
Farmers
BJP and their big promises to farmers. In their manifesto for the last election, they were all like, “Hey, we’re gonna double your farm income by 2022!” But guess what? It’s 2023 now, and there’s no sign of that happening. Shocker, right?
And then there were those protesting farmers, especially the ones from Punjab up north. They were so fed up with Modi’s farm reform laws that they actually forced him to roll them back in 2021. Can you believe it? Modi had to do a complete 180 on his own policies, which is pretty rare for him.
But the farmers weren’t done yet. This year, they hit the streets again, demanding higher guaranteed prices for their crops. They were like, “Hey, if you’re not gonna double our income, at least give us a fair price for our hard work!” The protests were pretty intense for a while, but they eventually fizzled out after a few weeks.
Global Stature
You know, the BJP loves to talk about how India’s rising global stature is all thanks to Modi. They’re always going on about how the economy is booming and how India’s making a name for itself on the world stage. And they’ve got a point, you know? Like, last year, India hosted the G20 summit, which was a pretty big deal. And then there was that whole situation with Russia attacking Ukraine, and Modi and his team managed to successfully evacuate all the Indian citizens who were stuck there. That was pretty impressive, not gonna lie.
BJP definitely sees Modi as the driving force behind India’s growing prominence in the world. They’re always highlighting his achievements and saying, “See? This is what happens when you’ve got a strong leader at the helm!” And you can’t really argue with the fact that India’s economy has been doing pretty well under Modi’s leadership.
But, of course, there are always going to be people who disagree and say that Modi’s not all he’s cracked up to be. That’s just the nature of politics, right? Everyone’s got an opinion. But one thing’s for sure – the BJP is definitely going to keep pushing the narrative that Modi is the reason for India’s rising global stature. It’s a key part of their campaign strategy, and they’re not likely to let up anytime soon.
Citizenship Amendment Act
The implementation of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) in India has sparked a range of opinions throughout the country. Bengal and Assam have elicited significant responses. According to the opposition, the BJP introduced the CAA shortly before the Lok Sabha elections with the intention of gaining electoral advantages.
The BJP has made a commitment regarding the CAA. The BJP has entered the field with this weapon. The law aims to provide citizenship to refugees who are not of the Muslim faith. The impact of the CAA in the elections will be influenced by the BJP’s ability to leverage it to appeal to ‘Hindu sentiments’. Simultaneously, critics are portraying it as divisive politics.
Coalition Politics
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has recently announced a decrease in the price of cooking gas, just in time for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. To celebrate International Women’s Day, there has been a significant reduction of Rs 100 per cylinder in the price of gas.
The opposition is dismissing the issue. According to critics, the BJP’s actions are seen as a temporary measure aimed at gaining support for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. Skeptics argue that prices are likely to rise again once the elections are over, dismissing the move as a mere gimmick. However, with the issue at hand, the BJP is emphasizing their commitment to ‘fulfilling the promise’.
