The highly charged campaign for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections concluded on May 30, with the final phase of voting for 57 seats across eight states and Union territories, including Varanasi where Prime Minister Narendra Modi is seeking a third term, ending on June 1. Marked by intense heat and lower voter turnout compared to 2019, the two-month campaign saw 486 seats filled across 28 states and Union territories.
The opposition INDIA alliance and other political parties focused their narratives on issues such as rising food prices, unemployment, caste census, wealth redistribution, and the preservation of the Constitution. In contrast, the ruling BJP’s campaign largely centered on negative rhetoric, scaremongering, and targeting the second-largest religious group to counter the opposition’s social justice platform.
The eight-week election period saw new lows in Indian electoral history. Prime Minister Modi addressed 206 election rallies and gave 71 staged interviews to media outlets, including TV channels. His campaign was marked by controversial remarks, such as his claim in Banswara that the Congress would take away ‘Mangalsutras’ from women to redistribute wealth among Muslims. He labeled Muslims as “infiltrators” and “people with more children,” prompting the Election Commission to issue a notice to BJP president J.P. Nadda after a complaint from Congress.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, at a press conference in New Delhi, highlighted that Modi’s speeches heavily focused on divisive issues, with little mention of unemployment and inflation. He noted, “Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke about ‘mandir-masjid’ and other divisive issues 421 times, referred to himself in the third person 758 times, referred to the Congress 232 times, and mentioned the India bloc 573 times, but did not address unemployment and inflation even once in his election speeches of the past 15 days.”
Former Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh criticized Modi’s speeches as “the most vicious form of hate speeches that are purely divisive in nature.” He urged voters in Punjab to exercise caution. The derogatory language used by BJP leaders against the Muslim community, including Telangana BJP MLA T Raja Singh’s remarks, further underscored the divisive tone of the campaign.
Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh pointed out that the party lodged 117 complaints with the Election Commission during the electoral process, including 14 against Prime Minister Modi, 8 against Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, and 3 against Union Home Minister Amit Shah. However, no action was taken on these complaints, which related to violations of the Model Code of Conduct, the Representation of People’s Act, and various Supreme Court decisions.
Pawan Khera, chairman of the Media and Publicity Department of Congress, noted that while Modi’s campaign focused on words starting with ‘M’ like Muslims and Mangalstura, the Congress centered its campaign on the ‘N’ alphabet, focusing on Nyay and its ‘PaanchNyay’ with 25 guarantees.
This election is seen as one of the most consequential in Indian history, putting Modi’s hold on power to the test. If victorious, Modi would become the second Indian leader after Jawaharlal Nehru to serve three terms as Prime Minister. Despite predictions of an “easy” victory for the BJP from pro-Modi media and analysts, independent reports indicate that the Modi magic of 2014 and 2019 is fading. The elections were primarily fought at the state and constituency levels, with unemployment, inflation, and rural hardship emerging as key issues.
Political analyst Rasheed Kidwai observed a shift in the electoral landscape, stating, “When the polls began, it felt like a one-horse race, with Modi leading from the front. But now we are seeing some kind of shift. The Opposition is doing better than expected, and it appears that Modi’s party is rattled. That’s the reason you see Modi ramping up anti-Muslim rhetoric to polarize voters.”
The BJP’s previous dominance on social media has also waned, with Congress outperforming the BJP across platforms like YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. Congress received 613 million YouTube views during the campaign compared to BJP’s 150 million, indicating a significant shift in online engagement.
Despite the BJP’s bold claims, senior journalist M.K. Venu highlighted widespread anti-incumbency sentiments driven by livelihood issues, unemployment, and inflation. In states like Maharashtra, the second-largest after UP with 48 seats, the BJP faces intense anti-incumbency, potentially making it a significant swing state favoring the Opposition alliance.