Indian general elections come to an end and Modi 3.0 is in the horizon
Edition 1# – Here we go with India Watch Briefing!
Editor’s note
After a six-week process, the Indian general elections concluded on Saturday, June 1. Final results will be announced tomorrow. The BJP-led alliance is expected to win again, securing Modi's leadership for a third consecutive term. If confirmed, the BJP's nation-building project will continue for another 5 years, further promoting a Hindu-first agenda. This will significantly impact Indian foreign policy. Additionally, these elections will offer insights into the current mindset and priorities for Indian people: Jobs? A strong civil society? Religious freedom? Temple building? These elections will reveal insights into the future direction of the country.
Our main highlights for this first edition:
“The fake news divide: how Modi’s rule is fracturing India” – The Guardian’s video team travelled through India to explore how fake news and censorship might be shaping the outcome of the election.
“India can’t ignore Russia- China bonhomie. Pursue CNP with a grand strategy” by Swasti Rao for ThePrint
“One of the major fallacies in Indian strategic thinking today is under estimating the forces that embed Moscow with Beijing.” – There was quite a ‘stir’ on Twitter in response to this article. Some respectfully shared their views on India's role in Sino-Russian relations (Could not be otherwise!). Others behaved inappropriately. As Dr. Chaulia put it, let’s move past “dinosaur-like mindsets”.
“‘There is a Clear Attempt by the RSS to Infiltrate the Judiciary’” – interview with Christophe Jaffrelot for The Wire.
Indian Foreign Policy in Brief
“Insights into the Indian Elections with Dr. Ronojoy Sen and Farwa Aamer” – Asia Society
Farwa Aamer discusses with Dr. Ronojoy Sen the key factors shaping the Indian elections, voter perceptions on the ground, and the priorities for the new government.
“‘Messianic spell’: how Narendra Modi created a cult of personality” by Hannah Ellis-Petersen for The Guardian.
“There is little doubt among Indians that Modi’s 10 years in power have already left an indelible mark on the country. To some it is the optimistic story of India rising to become the world’s fastest-growing economy, courted by powerful western leaders and multinational corporations; of efficient governance and technological advancements that have benefitted the public; and of the country freeing itself from the politics of elites and the “chains of colonisers” while reclaiming its historic Hindu civilisational greatness. Yet to others it is a story of democratic backsliding and growing authoritarianism; of crony capitalism and a growing chasm between rich and poor; of the erosion of freedom of the media and judicial independence; attacks on secularism, liberal institutions and civil society; of publicly condoned Islamophobia and growing state-sponsored persecution of minorities, primarily India’s 200 million Muslims.”
“India and the Sino-Russian Entente” by C. Raja Mohan for the Institute of South Asian Studies (ISAS)
“As Sino-Russian bilateral relations continue to deepen and point to greater strategic coordination between Beijing and Moscow in Asia and the Indo-Pacific, India will have to reassess its assumptions about Russia’s future geopolitical orientation. Sino-Russian partnership in the east is likely to undermine India’s quest to balance China and build a ‘multipolar Asia’; this, in turn, will demand a recalibration of India’s great power relations.”
Spotlight on EU-India Relations
“EU-India Relations: The Way Forward After the 2024 Elections” by Amaia Sánchez Cacicedo (EUISS)
In a recent report assembled by Shairee Malhotra from ORF, Dr. Sánchez Cacicedo argues that the EU and India should bridge the gap between their differing normative origins, while allowing their strategic partnership to deepen by focusing on issues of common interest and the desire to carve ‘a middle path’ vis-à-vis China and the US.
Spotlight on “Hindi Chini Bhai Bhai” (Sino-Indian relations)
“Interconnected Asian History as a Mirror for the Emerging Regional Order” by Manjeet S. Pardesi for the China-India Brief
“The emerging order in Asia is being actively shaped by the regional actors instead of being a function of the preferences of the great powers alone. A thicker and more legitimate order with multiple stakeholders is in the making in Asia. Although challenges remain, an all-out system-destroying war is not in the offing. Asia’s interconnected past before the rise of the West that endured for centuries in the absence of a hegemon can provide novel academic and policy insights as we navigate our post-hegemonic future.”
A Tech Lens to India
“How India’s democracy shapes its global role and relations with the West” by Chietigj Bajpaee (Chatham House)
Dr. Bajpaee published in April a report on Indian democracy and foreign policy. He observes that “Technology is not value-neutral, which is why India’s democratic credentials and climate of openness and innovation have made it a preferred partner for Western countries in the area of technology cooperation. But digital public infrastructure could be subject to growing scrutiny if privacy and data protection concerns become intertwined with broader concerns about democratic backsliding in India.”.
Spot your event on Indian foreign policy
ORF is organizing an in-person discussion on "European Elections 2024: What’s at stake?" today at 3PM IST in New Delhi. Featured speakers include Klaus Welle, Stefania Benaglia, Gulshan Sachdeva, Rajeswari Pillai Rajagopalan, Lorenzo Parrulli and Shairee Malhotra. You can register here.
The Stimson Center is organizing a webinar on what will India's foreign policy look like under the new government on June 12. Featured speakers include Amb. Ajay Bisaria, Sohini Bose and Jabin Jacob. You can register here.
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Very very instructive. Looking forward for the next edition!