National Democratic Alliance Research Articles

The Leadership Factor in the 2024 Elections: Did Narendra Modi’s Impact Peak Much Before the Elections?

This article seeks to examine the role of the leadership factor in the 2024 elections. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) made leadership the centre-piece of its campaign and appeal for votes. While the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) coalition consciously avoided a confrontation with the BJP around the leadership issue, this factor continued to assume salience during the campaign. By locating the debate in the wider context of the 2014 and 2019 elections, this article, assesses whether the impact of the leadership factor, especially in the case of BJP (and the National Democratic Alliance [NDA]) has plateaued and did not add any traction to the campaign of the ruling party. A set of questions asked in the National Election Study (NES) 2024 compared with data from NES 2014 and NES 2019 form the basis of the analysis.

India's General Election: Verdict 2024-A Reflection of Public Political Decisions

2024 has been a year of elections around the world, including the developed nations—the USA, the UK, the European Union and the Russian Federation alongside countries like India, Mexico, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Iran (the Islamic Republic of), South Africa, Republic of Korea (South Korea), Algeria, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Indonesia, Ghana, Mozambique, Madagascar, Venezuela, (the Bolivarian Republic of), Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea), Taiwan, Syrian Arab Republic, Mali, Sri Lanka, Romania, Chad, Senegal, Cambodia, Rwanda, Tunisia, Belgium, Dominic Republic, Jordan, South Sudan, Czechia (Czech Republic), Azerbaijan, Portugal, Belarus, Togo, Austria, El Salvador, Slovakia, Finland, Mauritania, Panama, Croatia, Georgia, Mongolia, Uruguay, Republic of Moldova, Lithuania Botswana, Namibia, Guinea Bissau and North Macedonia. This editorial is devoted to the verdict of India’s General Election 2024. The results of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections have trickled in by defying most of the expectations of the exit polls. The graph of the results projected a different picture, with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) grabbing 293 seats in the 543-member Parliament. At the same time, the coalition of opposition parties, collectively known as the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA), accomplished 234, which is 38 less than the required majority. As a twist in the election results, the regional parties made significant gains in many states. Congress bagged a strong revival, which was hugely attributed to the Bharat Jodo Yatra and Nyay Yatra under the architect of Mr Rahul Gandhi. Nevertheless, with its allies, BJP-led NDA is on board as Modi 3.0 leads the largest democracy.

Mandi Lok Sabha Showdown: Royal King Vs Bollywood Queen

The southern states of Kerala and Karnataka will be the centre of attention as India’s massive parliamentary elections enter their second of seven phases on April 26. On April 19, India’s general election for the 543 seats in the Lok Sabha, began. On June 4, the outcomes of the biggest democratic election in history will be made public. The two main alliances, aside from a number of regional and national contenders, are the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA), led by the main opposition Indian National Congress, and the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), which is led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP). India’s political scene frequently features captivating contests characterised by the coming together of disparate identities and backgrounds. This phenomenon is best exemplified by the upcoming election between two strong candidates, Bollywood star Kangana Ranaut and Royal scion Vikramaditya Singh, for the Mandi Lok Sabha seat in Himachal Pradesh. Through shedding light on the complex issues involved in the conflict between the conventional aristocracy, represented by Vikramaditya Singh, and the magnetism of Bollywood fame, personified by Kangana Ranaut, this research adds to a deeper understanding of the changing landscape of Indian politics, where identity politics and personality cults collide with the established power system.

India: The Emerging Superpower of the World

At present, India is counted among the emerging superpowers of the world. Mainly two stages can be seen in the journey of India’s economic development. The first can be considered as the period from the country’s attainment of independence on August 15, 1947 till the dissolution of the Soviet Union (1991) and the second from 1991 till the present time. The beginning of liberalization initiated in India was a bold decision which was taken in view of the then circumstances. In the National Democratic Alliance government, the then Prime Minister Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee government once again made the entire world aware of India’s military capabilities by conducting nuclear tests (Pokhran-2) for the second time in the year 1998. During the United Progressive Alliance government, Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh with great wisdom and tact gave a new direction to India’s relations with America, Russia, China, European Union, ASEAN etc. India’s civil nuclear agreement with America (123) can be considered a historic decision. In the year 2014, the (BJP-NDA) government was formed at the Center under the leadership of Shri Narendra Modi with a clear majority. After the Lok Sabha elections in the year 2019, Shri Narendra Modi again became the Prime Minister of the country. In the last decade, India has made unprecedented progress in many fields. At present India is the fifth largest economy in the world. The economies of all countries of the world were negatively affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. From the perspective of India as an emerging superpower, its large size, economic strength, military power, human capital and strategic advantages can be considered as its strengths. India is the largest democratic country in the world. India can become a bridge of peace in the present world divided into two opposing camps. India has won the trust of the countries of the world by presenting an example of human service through vaccine diplomacy in the Covid-19 pandemic. India has moved towards continuous progress and self-reliance in the fields of economic, military, food dependence, space, tourism, education, health etc. Positive results of Make-in-India and Bharat Self-reliant campaign are visible. There has been a continuous increase in foreign exchange reserves.

Externalization of Indian federalism: Understanding the role of West Bengal and Tripura on India’s policy toward Bangladesh

ABSTRACT In a federal political system like India, the role of the federal units bordering the neighboring countries becomes crucial in foreign policy-making toward neighboring countries. It is expected that when similar political parties or coalition partners remain in power in both the center and the states, federal politics does not hinder policy-making toward neighboring countries. Moreover, foreign policy being a central subject, federal units any way reflect passive tendencies, especially in the case of governments with the same party affiliations. Both these simplifications are contested in this paper by citing instances of the role of West Bengal and Tripura, India’s two federal units bordering the neighboring country of Bangladesh, at different historical junctures, in which similar political parties in the center and the state resulted in more friction than when different political parties were in office in matters of India’s foreign policy-making toward Bangladesh. The paper argues that instead of federalization of foreign policy, where federal units have an influential role, this particular experience suggests an externalization of federalism, where an external variable (Bangladesh) influences internal federal dynamics to the extent that domestic electoral politics force the political parties of the two federal units to give importance to the neighboring country in taking positions on foreign policy-making. The immediate context of fifty years of the India-Bangladesh relationship and question about over-centralization during the latest phase of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) regime in India push the authors to take up Bangladesh as a case to contest the given of Indian federalism in foreign policy making.

Chinese war in Southeast Asia’s Frontier: contesting Kokang’s Chinese identity on Myanmar-China Border conflict

ABSTRACT Kokang is an ethnic minority group that settled along the Myanmar-China borderland with dual identity as it has long historical ties of nationalism and patronage with various political factions in China while located outside China’s border. This article explores how Kokang’s Ethnic Revolutionary Organization (ERO), the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army, and their leaders construct Kokang’s identity to their benefit. Based on desk research method, the article found that Kokang’s dual identity allows them to self-categorize themselves as Chinese or separate-independent ethnic minorities in Myanmar while setting ethnic boundaries with various political entities to protect their interest.

Can the National Health Policy 2017 Strengthen the National Health System and Improve the Health of the Indian Populace?

The union cabinet approved the National Health Policy (NHP) 2017 on 15 March 2017. After its initial draft stage, seeking opinions from different stakeholders for nearly 34 months, the NHP 2017 came to the public domain with its final version. The main objective of this version of the NHP is to implement the proposed National Health Assurance Plan, which has been one of the agendas of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government for the healthcare of the people. The main objective of this article is to critically appraise and discuss the scopes and limitations in accomplishing the targets set in the policy document. A critique of the targets has also been discussed, considering the historical evidence and experiences of achieving the same. In the end, suggestions and recommendations have also been suggested for improving the health system regarding NHP 2017. The article critically analyses NHP 2017 based on secondary and grey literature. Evidence from secondary literature has been juxtaposed to compare and contrast the difficulty in implementing the policy. Literature is obtained from electronically accessible search and indexing portals, such as Google, Google Scholar, Web of Sciences, Embase, PubMed, and PubMed Central by using the keywords like health policy, impact of health policy, human resources in health, health care information technology, hospitals, pharmaceuticals and medical devices, health insurance and public health. Considering the implementation challenges of the previous two NHPs, the current NHP 2017 should be relevant to the grassroots level nuances and should address not only the healthcare needs but also the human development indicators.

Revisiting the India’s Southeast Asia policy: An Outlook of the Comparative Study about India’s NDA-UPA Governments

From the end of Cold War India has been accelerated to review her foreign policy and also learned specially to revive neighbourhood thinking around her territories. We know, India’s Look East Policy has been accessed now as Act East Policy towards Southeast Asia to East Asia. Now here arises a question why did India need to join with Southeast Asian Association? To explain this paper, we have three objectives like: a) to investigate the roles of different government of India about foreign policy; b) try to search the different approaches from different government if any; c) to draw a layout of India’s Southeast Asian policy. So the research paper will be further search the sufficient role and strategy of United Progressive Alliance (UPA) and National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government from then to till now

Fifteen Years of India's NREGA: Employer of the Last Resort?

For the last decade, India’s National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA, 2005) has been the world’s largest public works programme. This legal entitlement provided employment to 28 per cent of rural Indian households in 2019–2020. After the COVID-19 pandemic, NREGA is increasingly emerging as an invaluable employer of the last resort. However, longitudinal data of implementation in its first fifteen years reveal distinctive trends. On the one hand, since inception, NREGA has rendered greater benefits to women and marginalised communities. But on the other, since 2014 till before the pandemic, the present National Democratic Alliance (NDA) regime has reduced NREGA coverage compared to its implementation during the previous United Progressive Alliance (UPA) coalition government which had enacted the legislation. Nevertheless, in light of the pandemic and based on international experiences in public work programmes, there is an urgent need for the expansion of the employment guarantee.

Imbalancing Act: India's Industrial Relations Code, 2020.

The ruling National Democratic Alliance regime in India pushed through three labour codes in September 2020 namely the Code on Social Security; Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code; and the Industrial Relations Code. These alongside the Code on Wages approved earlier in 2019 amalgamate several labour laws. This study is an endeavour towards a critical examination of the Industrial Relations Code, 2020. It engages in a comparative analysis of the various provisions of the Code vis-à-vis the laws which were its predecessors. Some key features of the Code as well as their ramifications are probed. Further, their potential impact on trade unionism and the right to strike is discussed. The relationship between capital and labour is adversarial rather than complementary. This paper argues that reforms in the real sense must seek to balance the interests of both parties rather than that of employers alone.

Wage, Profit, Employment and Output in Indian Organized Manufacturing Sector during UPAI & UPA II and NDA I & NDA II (Modi I) Regimes

This paper comparatively examines wages, profits, employment and output in Indian organized manufacturing sector during two political regimes, National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and NDA under the Prime-minister of Mr. Narendra Modi, and United Progressive Alliance (UPA). These four aspects of industrial development in India are analyzed in the context of political economy of neo-liberal reforms and sustainable development goals (SDGs) to be achieved by 2030. By using data of Annual Survey of Industries (ASI), the political economy of the two regimes is comparatively analyzed in the four periods/year, viz., NDA I (1999-2004), UPA I (2004-2009), UPA II (2009-2014) and Modi I (2018-2019). There are four empirical results in this analysis: (i) decrease in share of wages of blue-collar workers to white-collar workers, (ii) higher level and share of blue-collar workers at 79% and constant respective shares of clerks and white-collar workers at 12% and 10% over fourth regimes, (iii) increase in contract blue-collar workers, (iv) increase in feminization of blue-collar workers. These empirical results advocates policy implications for descent work, inclusive industrial and sustainable development in the Covid era.

Shifting Budget Allocation Priorities in India

Budget allocation is an amount designated to a certain aspect of the economy as an expenditure for a particular year. There are various sectors in an economy that are allocated certain shares of the central budget of a country each financial year. The present research paper focuses on studying the allocation of the budget among four pillars of the Indian economy: education, agriculture, healthcare, and defence, by the United Progressive Alliance as well as the National Democratic Alliance over the course of the past few years. The objective of this paper is to determine which government focuses more on which sector in a specific year and to study the various factors which influence it. The data which has been used to analyze the allocations have been picked up from the official Ministry of Finance website and any ambiguity in the data should not be present. Accuracy has been maintained throughout the paper but any ambiguity in the official data is regretted. This paper has been written from the perspective of one individual and does not aim to influence public opinion or harm any emotional or political sentiments.

Revisiting the Pasmanda Political Discourse: Feasibility, Failure and the Way Forward

This article attempts to revisit the Pasmanda political discourse (PPD) which is grounded on the premise that there exist a number of backward and dalit Muslims who remain under-represented and whose demands remain unheard in contemporary India. In recognising this reality, this article tries to understand the PPD from three perspectives. First, the feasibility and importance of the PPD in the context of the resounding victory of the National Democratic Alliance which has indicated that the present dispensation managed to dismantle caste-based politics in the last 2019 general elections. Second, it tries to explain the reasons for the failure of Pasmanda politics which could not make a headway in the Muslim community in general and Pasmanda Muslims in particular and also in other socio-religious groups and political parties, despite it being a century-old political discourse. Third, it seeks to articulate the way forward to strengthen and rejuvenate the idea of Pasmanda in India today which is witnessing a domination of majoritarian politics.

Centre-state relations under Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) Led NDA (National Democratic Alliance) Post 2014 elections

The adoption of a federal structure in India was viewed as a requirement in order to address the diversity of the Indian situation. The elements of heterogeneity and plurality could be addressed by achieving reconciliation between national and constituent unit identities. In political context balancing the relationship of Union and States become evidently important, particularly after 1975, the time when Emergency was imposed in the Country. The system's dynamism, with all of its checks and balances, causes issues and friction in the functioning of Union State relations. A mixture of pressures caused by such issues may obstruct the system's operation and jeopardise the country's unity and integrity. It is therefore necessary to review the evolution of the Union States arrangement not only to identify persistent problems and seek solutions based on past experience, but also to adapt the system to changing times so that, propelled or moved by the spirit of common endeavour and cooperative efforts, the country moves ever closer to the social welfare goals set forth in the Constitution.” It was expected that conflicts would arise in the working of Union-State relations in India, so some structural devices for conflict resolution between the centre and states were carved out, such as provision of supremacy of the Constitution, independence of the judiciary, judicial Review, and amendment process, among others. However, the built-in system for resolving disputes between the Union and its constituent states proved insufficient. This argument can be expanded upon when the BJP-led NDA gains a majority at both levels post 2014 elections, and the relations may became smooth or as it's earlier.

Stanowisko ukraińskich środowisk politycznych w II Rzeczypospolitej wobec „pacyfikacji Galicji Wschodniej” w 1930 roku

During the second half of 1930, Polish police and army units carried out so-called the „pacification of Eastern Galicia”. That event played an important role in the Polish-Ukrainian relations in the interwar period. The instances of sabotage carried out by the Ukrainian Military Organization were announced as the official reason for the „pacification”. The nature of repressions, which affected civilians who were not connected with the Ukrainian Military Organization, caused a reaction from leading Ukrainian circles. In the beginning, the Ukrainian press, such as the most opinion-forming daily „Dilo”, reported acts of sabotage. Next, the three leading Ukrainian parties, Ukrainian National Democratic Alliance, the Ukrainian Socialist-Radical Party and the Ukrainian Social Democratic Party made an agreement and issued a communiqué in which they condemned such the perpetrators of the sabotages as the state authorities’ action. At the turn of September and October, the political leaders of the Ukrainian National Democratic Alliance and the head of the Greek Catholic Church, Archbishop Andrej Szeptycki, attempted to intervene with the Polish authorities. Until December 1930, when the new Sejm and Senate were convened, all Ukrainian efforts were unsuccessful. Despite the defeat, it was the starting point for the discussion about the „pacification of Eastern Galicia” in the Polish parliament and on the international forum.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi visit to Sri Lanka and its impacts on Indo-Sri Lankan relations

In Globe, no nation is not an isolate it depends upon one another to fulfill their needs as a result of these multilateral relations build-up. Such a strong relationship we need to maintain means we need strong leadership. Such strong leaders are there before and after independence also. The several party leaders and their alliances are formed and implemented the policies for the development of India at the Internal level as well as external level. The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government was formed under two prominent leaders known as Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Narendra Modi. After Vajpayee, the NDA Government under the leadership of Narendra Modi realized the importance of foreign policy and maintaining a good relationship. Sri Lanka is also one of the closest neighboring countries; Prime Minister Narendra Modi from 2014 to 2019 he officially visited Sri Lanka three times within these three visits he used to make several new initiatives in many fields.

The “Imagined Other”

In 2014, the National Democratic Alliance, led by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), won the general election with the highest number of seats won by any party since 1984 and went on to win a second term victory in 2019. Since the rise of the BJP, Hindu nationalist interventions into education have increased. Their agenda has been to “indigenise, nationalise and spiritualise” education in India. To this end, textbooks were written to promote a Hindu majoritarian idea of India that sees Hindus as the primary citizens of India and categorizes Muslims as the “other”. This article outlines the political context in which Hindu nationalists have recently attempted to rewrite Indian history by focusing on the period of Muslim rule in India. It looks at textbooks published by the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) and media reports about regional history rewriting in India.

Narinder Modi’s Administration and 2019 Parliamentary Election

The National Democratic Alliance govt was formed in May 2014 after BJP led NDA coalition secured a total of 336 LokSabha seats and delivered a serious blow to the UPA II govt in general and congress in particular. The BJP on its own secured 282 seats while its allies secured 54 seats. This was a watershed moment in the Indian democracy as it was after 1984 general elections that any single party has been able to cross the magical parliamentary electoral threshold figure. The 2014 election is said to have redefined Indian politics and is being considered as tectonic shift within Indian political system. With about a year to go for 2019 general elections, politics in India is turning high voltage undergoing fast political churning and wheeling dealing on the part of different political parties. The 2019 would be like 2014 elections the largest democratic exercise on earth. Although opinion polls predict in favor of BJP but with the recent by poll defeats of BJP in various states and the attempts of opposition parties towards forging Mahagathbandhan, 2019 is believed to be no cakewalk for BJP & co. The party will need to address the challenges of varying nature for staying in electoral fray against opposition.

Assembly Elections of India, 2021: Revisiting Assam

In India, Assembly Elections were held in Assam, West Bengal, Kerela, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry in the first half of 2021. Driving this study is an attempt to analyse the election results of the state of Assam where Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its allies, Mitrajot or National Democratic Alliance (NDA), successfully defeated the Indian National Congress (INC), and its allies, Mahajot (Grand Alliance). Drawing primarily upon secondary data and applying GIS techniques, the study makes a critical analogy of how Mitrajot managed to accomplish victory.
 This is a solicited article. Submitted: 10 May 2021; Accepted: 24 June 2021.

Poverty, Pandemic and Elections: Analysis of Bihar Assembly Elections 2020

We analyse the Bihar assembly elections of 2020, and find that poverty was the key driving factor, over and above female voters as determinants. The results show that the poor were more likely to support the National Democratic Alliance (NDA). The relevance of this result for an election held in the midst of a pandemic is very crucial, given that the poor were the hardest hit. Second, in contrast to conventional commentary, the empirical results show that the All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen—‘AIMIM factor’ and the Lok Janshakti party—‘LJP factor’ hurt the NDA, while benefitting the Maha Gath Bandan (MGB), with their presence in these elections. The methodological novelty in this article has combined elections data with wealth data to study the effect of poverty on election outcomes.