Gantry 5

 

Elections in India: Modi hit but not sunk

Bulletin No47 juin 2024  The results of the elections in India are now known. Given the role of capitalist power that India plays, due to its population, its economy and its place in Asia and in the world [1] , these results have been the subject of numerous comments and analyses. India, as a member of BRICS+, is one of the rising powers integrated into the world economy and competing for its place in the imperialist system.
The verdict of the elections in which more than 600 million voters participated and which were excessively personalized by Prime Minister N. Modi [2] can be summed up in one sentence: Modi touched but not sunk! In fact, the total number of elected officials from his party, the BJP [3] (Indian People's Party), increased from 303 to 240 seats. The NDA bloc [4] whose backbone is the BJP won 292 seats (-60 seats) out of the 543 in Parliament. The India bloc [5] bringing together a large part of the opposition around the Congress party obtained 234 seats (+141 seats). The various participating communist parties have slightly improved their positions. They won eight seats compared to five last time – Communist Party of India (Marxist) 4, Communist Party of India 2 and Communist Party of India (Marxist Leninist) 2. The results in Kerala [6] were disappointing for the Communist Party of India (Marxist), where they hoped to gain more. Remember that this state of 35 million inhabitants has long been run by a coalition led by communists.
The mixed result of BJP and its alliance the NDA was probably determined by a significant rise in the social movement of the small peasantry who led long and hard struggles [7] against a reform of liberalization of agricultural prices which deprived them of income stable by favoring agri-food companies and traders. Faced with the social difficulties generated by a policy aimed at giving the large capitalist monopolies the means to take their place in international competition, the struggles of the working class were also numerous and resolute. To carry out these reforms, N. Modi and the BJP pursued a policy of force and restrictions on freedoms based on Hindu nationalism. Thus the Communist Party of India (Marxist) writes in a recent statement: " The elections took place in the context of the ten years of Modi's rule, the hallmark of which was the institution of an authoritarian regime which promoted the Hindutva communal agenda [8] All aspects of the constitutional system were confiscated, leading to the takeover of state institutions .
It was in such unfavorable circumstances of control over the State and institutions that the India bloc carried out its electoral campaign. Faced with Modi's rabid communalist rhetoric, the opposition has responded by focusing on unemployment and employment, rising prices and inflation, agrarian distress and the threats to democracy and the constitution posed by the forces of Hindutva. For the first time, the need to protect the constitution resonated with large sections of the population, particularly among the Dalits [9] (the untouchables).
According to the Communist Party of India (M), while sharing the success obtained by the India bloc, we must look at the results with a critical eye because nothing is definitively decided. India, which intends to play the role of a great power in Asia and in the world, is practicing a subtle balance in its relations with the imperialist powers and is trying to find its way between the Euro-Atlantic bloc dominated by the United States and the Eurasian one dominated by China [10] . The results of the elections should not change this duality of approach to its relations within the imperialist system and it is a safe bet that N. Modi's policy, an extension, in this area, of that led by the Congress party will continue.