Indian voters, fed up with corruption, stalled growth, high inflation and unemployment, just handed a resounding defeat to their current government. On Friday, Narendra Modi was selected the next Prime Minister of India.
Landslide… rout… mandate. All the superlatives are appropriate. India has just witnessed a monumental shift in its history.
It’s impossible to truly understand the magnitude of this shift without understanding the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty of the past 67 years (this topic will be covered in a future blog). For now, this story is all about Modi and the BJP Party.
India follows the UK process of voting for Members of Parliament. The winning political party then selects the Prime Minister, in this case, the Bharatiya Janata Party or BJP.
While the incumbents rolled out a very lethargic, traditional, old-school, campaign that’s worked for the past six decades, the BJP utilized a “quasi presidential” approach modeled after the U.S. 63 year old Modi was out in front, campaigning tirelessly with very sharp rhetoric, backed by massive social media efforts.
India is the world’s largest democracy with 815 million registered voters. The polling process began April 7 and concluded May 12. The results were announced Friday (May 16). Modi will take office within the next few days.
This was the largest election in history, and with 66% turnout, the highest-ever in India’s young democracy. To help prevent fraud, the index finger of each voter is marked with permanent ink. This ink mark still remains a month after the vote was cast.
Clearly, citizens demanded change (a word Americans know well from the 2008 elections). There are 543 seats in the Lok Sabha (lower house of Parliament) with 272 seats required for a clear majority. BJP won 283 seats outright, and with the addition of coalition partners brought their total to 337, a gain of 196 seats.
The Congress Party was decimated, losing 175 seats in a total rout. NOTE: Congress is a political party led by the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty, and is no way related to how Americans think of this word.
This is the first clear majority in 30 years and eliminates the need for messy and politically-driven coalitions. Indians now have high expectations of action.
Modi is seen as pro-business and carries a positive track record from his home state of Gujarat, which is known for solid infrastructure and a sound economy during his tenure as Chief Minister.
After being rather subdued for the past 6 years, the stock market hit an all time high on Friday when the election results were announced. The Rupee exchange rate improved to its best level in nearly a year.
However, Modi also carries baggage from the 2002 communal riots when hundreds of Hindus and nearly a thousand Muslims were killed. Modi was recently cleared by a special investigation, however much doubt remains, especially in the Muslim community who make up the largest minority in India. Note, Modi only carried 9% of the Muslim vote.
As a result of these riots, the U.S. revoked Modi’s visa. He’s been completely snubbed by the U.S. up until two months ago when American Ambassador Nancy Powell reached out to him. The U.S. sensed a Modi victory and was trying to mend fences, albeit, very late in the game.
Modi arrived in Delhi Saturday morning where he was greeted by thousands of supporters at the airport. I opted to witness history.
Media published his route to BJP headquarters, so I positioned myself in this crowd along the road.
Everyone was quite festive, waving flags and chatting Modi’s name.
This reporter interviewed bystanders in Hindi on live TV, and then switched to English when she spotted me. She had multiple questions, but clearly the priority was regarding U.S. / Indian relations. A question I heard many times later.
Then with sirens blaring, the motorcade arrived.
Modi opened the door, stood and waved to the cheering crowds.
With the euphoria, mad dash and pushing toward his vehicle, I thought for sure he’d be crushed to death.
However, the motorcade proceeded on its way, with thousands running behind on foot (you can still spot Modi’s arm in this photo).
From there, I made my way to BJP headquarters in Delhi. The crowd was massive with over-the-top high spirits.
The supporters were overt with their pride.
This man painted his body in saffron and white paint. Along with the green pants, he’s representing the three colors of the Indian flag.
I attempted a “selfie” in the thick and crushing crowd.
This was big news. The media was positioned in the hot sun, waiting patiently…
… while others were busy collecting sound bites…
… and some opted for a makeup touch up.
This reporter is from Australia.
This Al Jazeera reporter was interrupted by an overly-enthusiastic Modi supporter in the middle of his “stand up.”
A confetti-like machine spewed saffron-colored flower petals atop the cheering masses.
People were anxious to speak with me and everyone had the same question: What does this mean for U.S. / Indian relations?
Imagine that. The newly elected leader of the world’s largest democracy is ineligible for a visa to visit the world’s oldest democracy. However Obama called to congratulat Modi and invited him to the U.S. (a clear reversal of position). I guess there’s no more visa issue.
One man told me, “You have no choice now. You have to show Modi respect.”
Once the meetings inside concluded, Modi sped away in his motorcade (he’s here in the front passenger seat).
And again, thousands followed on foot in pursuit, including this elderly man. Why? He just wanted his own personal connection with this historic moment. Enjoy your week. ts
Ukrainian Tom 