Opposition Interrupted

Abstract

AbstractThis chapter delineates the political implications of BJP’s victory in 2019 for opposition politics and the reinforcement of the right-wing trajectory that India had embarked upon in 2014. The BJP’s top leadership interpreted the verdict as a signal for a complete change in direction and a mandate to establish a Hindu state. The principal consequence of this shift was the acceleration of authoritarianism and communalism that paved the way for the institution of a communal regime in the Centre. These shifts have been strengthened by growing polarization, curbs on dissent, institutional erosion, media control, and growing concentration of economic power, all of which have created an unequal playing field for the opposition. This has profound consequences for India’s democracy and the future of the Congress, which is the principal concern of this chapter.