Defeated in Delhi

Millions of Indians have voted in a crucial regional election in the capital. Exit polls show a humiliating defeat for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist party. Nine different polls predict New Delhi’s chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and his Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), might win 52 out of 70 seats.

The defeat comes at a time when Modi’s policies of Hindu exceptionalism have galvanised large sections of the Indian society. But this election was more than victory or defeat. The Modi regime positioned the election as a referendum over a controversial new law that excludes Muslims from a fast-track to citizenship. The results in Delhi established that the decision last summer to strip Muslim-majority Kashmir of its semi-autonomous status was also aimed at gaining Hindu votes and strengthening the base that favours such policies.

It seems now, that the urban population in India has other issues that influenced their voting decision last week. They voted for Kejriwal’s party primarily for focusing on refurbishing public schools, providing bus fares for women and electric and healthcare subsidies. On the other hand, Modi only offered divisive policies that in the long run only harm India’s secular image on the world stage. Overall, the vote appears to be a comprehensive verdict on Modi’s performance.

It comes as India’s economic growth is at its lowest in six years and there are no real signs of recovery. Perhaps it is time for Modi and his political team to realize that this particular vote has exposed the dents in the prime minister’s popularity and his failure to deliver the innumerable promises. After the results are finalized and the winner is officially named, Modi and his team of Hindu nationalists will have some tough choices to make for their political survival. An obvious and more sensible choice would be to abandon the policy of division and hate that seems to be the biggest threat to India’s own survival.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 10^th, 2020.

Like Opinion & Editorial on Facebook, follow @ETOpEd on Twitter to receive all updates on all our daily pieces.