Now Reading: Modi’s BJP forgets Hindu pride cannot be eaten, professor says
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Modi’s BJP forgets Hindu pride cannot be eaten, professor says
Narendra Modi was elected for a third term as prime minister on Wednesday, but his Bharatiya Janata Party won only 240 seats in the general election, far short of the 272 needed for a majority and well below the landslide the party had expected. Modi will now lead a coalition government, with the swearing-in scheduled for Saturday.
According to Sumit Ganguly, a political science professor at Indiana University, the BJP miscalculated by relying on religious polarisation while ignoring deep economic distress. Unemployment among 20- to 24-year-olds stands at 44.49%, and only 11.3% of children receive adequate nutrition. Ganguly said that while Modi used rhetoric calling Muslims "infiltrators", voters ultimately care about the price of potatoes and jobs.
The BJP's failure was most visible in Uttar Pradesh, where Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's firebrand Hindu nationalist appeal did not translate into the expected mandate. Ganguly said the party forgot that "Hindu pride cannot be eaten" when everyday necessities remain out of reach.
Indian Opinion Analysis
India's unemployment data, especially for youth, has been a persistent vulnerability for the BJP. The party's 2019 campaign relied heavily on national security after the Balakot airstrikes, this time, without a similar external trigger, kitchen-table economics dominated. The outcome also signals that the Ram temple inauguration in Ayodhya in January, while a powerful cultural moment, did not override local grievances about prices and jobs. The real test for the new coalition government will be the first full budget due in July, where it must address rural distress without alienating its fiscally conservative allies. Watch for whether the government raises farm support prices or expands the rural jobs guarantee scheme in the coming weeks.
Source: scmp.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above. Methodology and corrections.
