Narendra Modi sworn in as India’s prime minister for a third term after a narrow win – suggesting Indian voters saw through religious rhetoric

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is greeted by supporters as he arrives at the Bharatiya Janata Party headquarters in New Delhi on June 4, 2024. AP Photo/Manish Swarup _Leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party Narendra Modi was sworn in on June 9, 2024 for a rare third term as prime minister, after winning with a slim majority in India’s recently concluded parliamentary election. The BJP had hoped for a landslide victory in the country’s six-week general election – the largest display of democracy, by far, in a year of voting around the world. But the party scored only 240 parliamentary seats in the final tally and needed coalition partners to form the government. The Conversation U.S. spoke with Sumit Ganguly, distinguished professor of political science and the Tagore chair in Indian Cultures and Civilizations at Indiana University, to understand more about the election results and what they mean for Indian democracy. The BJP had talked about an overwhelming victory, but it seems it will not get a majority. How do you explain these results? Part of the answer lies in the Modi government’s failure to realize that while economic benefits had been substantial, their distribution has been uneven. India has seen...