Ripple Effect Of Indian Elections

Parmeshwar Devkota

Nepal and India are close neighbours and friends because they share social, cultural and economic relations since the time immemorial. So, what happens in India, a ripple effect is felt in Nepal also. Many of us presume that if all the parts of India are developed and all the Indian communities are equally prosperous, we will also be prosperous due to its ripple effect. The political developments in India, considered the largest democracy, naturally influence its immediate neighbours. 

Recently, India conducted its 18th Lok Sabha elections in seven phases to elect 543 lawmakers. Out of the total 968 million eligible voters, 642 million people cast their votes to select the leaders of their choice. An example of stable and peaceful politics is that in a vast country of multiple ethnicities, diverse political and religious beliefs, except minor skirmishes among party cadres and ardent well-wishers, there were no major confrontations between the supporters of Indian National Development Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) and National Democratic Alliance (NDA).  The Indian National Congress (INC) leads the INDIA while the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is the main ally of the NDA. 

The BJP and the INC have remained the main players in the Indian politics. The INDIA received 234 seats while the NDA secured 293 seats, enabling the BJP to form the new government. At a gathering organised at its headquarters in New Delhi, BJP chairman JP Nadda, described how many million people have been connected to the health insurance service and how many millions people received the gas cylinders free of cost under NDA government, echoing the speeches of Utter Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. If NDA and BJP continue to resorts to populist acts like free distribution of gas cylinders, their electoral base would further shrink in the future.

With its huge potentialities, India can make further strides in economic development. It has huge chunk of plain and fertile land and huge natural resources.  The country has cutting-edge technology applied in many fields, but sadly, it has huge slums beyond big cities where millions of people have been living below the poverty line. The shanty towns lack running water, sanitation and even electricity. The children of the poor people do not have access to hygienic food and education. 

Therefore, the new government should focus on transforming the country. India wants to be third-largest economy in the world. If it makes a leap forward in certain areas, it can bring a change to the life of the people.  Therefore, it is imperative for BJP to convince the party leaders and cadres to work to uplift the status of people living in the slums. The slums should be equipped with the modern facilities with the people having the access to health, education, job and social security. Narrow roads should be widened and factories and industries established to provide job to the slum dwellers. The youth should get decent jobs that also support their families. If India becomes stable and prosperous, this will have positive impact in Nepal as well.