India 2024 Election Drama: Modi Sells Prosperity, but Who's Buying?

Narendra Modi ascended to office ten years ago with a pledge to revolutionize India's economy, and it is difficult to dispute that he has really made significant progress. As he campaigns for a third term as prime minister, the country's economic growth is the object of admiration worldwide; its stock markets are experiencing significant growth; and new infrastructure projects such as buildings and highways are being constructed at a rapid pace.

However, his political opponents aim to take advantage of certain weaknesses in his administration, including the significant levels of unemployment, ongoing poverty, and the perception that only a small fraction of India's 1.4 billion population has been able to benefit from the country's prosperity.

"The socioeconomic disparity in the economy is evident, with those in higher socioeconomic positions experiencing significant growth while those in lower positions are facing considerable challenges," stated Milan Vaishnav, the director of the South Asia Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

Modi and his Bharatiya Janata Party have maintained their popularity since his initial election as prime minister in 2014, based on a strong Hindu-centric agenda and promises to successfully transition the economy from an agrarian to an industrial one, a feat that previous governments had been unable to achieve.