On the road to dictatorship

If Modi wins again, India’s democracy will die

Indian Prime Minister Modi is facing a third term in office.(Bild: HIMANSHU SHARMA / AFP / picturedesk.com)

It is the biggest election in the history of mankind: a total of 969 million Indians will vote for a new parliament by the beginning of June. There is little doubt that Prime Minister Narendra Modi (73) and his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will win. Krone+ knows why a third term in office for the Hindu nationalist would be a debacle for Indian democracy.

Eligible voters on the subcontinent have until June 1 to cast their votes. The electronic count will then take place on June 4 and the final result will be announced. All forecasts indicate that Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who has been in power for ten years, is heading for a third term in office. His Hindu nationalist BJP is running against a divided alliance of two dozen opposition parties. A victory would make the 73-year-old the second prime minister after independence hero Jawaharlal Nehru to rule for a third consecutive term.