Modi At A Critical Juncture

Unlike the “done deal” for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) speculated by most psephologists, opinions wavered midway through the multi-phase April-June polls. Complexity began to surface in the wake of hard-hitting campaigns loaded with charges of misdeeds by the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and the opposition, Indian National Development Inclusive Alliance (INDIA). Unlike in 2014 and 2019, BJP this time did not obtain a clear majority on its own. Its reduced strength is, however, bigger than that of the INDIA. Next to its strength of 240 seats in a house of 543 members is the Congress whose enhanced seat strength this time is 99.