General elections 2024: A weaker mandate to impel policy reset
NDA, the actual vote count so far shows a considerable decline (240 for BJP alone vs 302 in 2019). This effectively highlights the formation of a weaker alliance government in the offing, thereby reducing the dominance of the BJP. This will mark the return of the coalition government politics in India.
Political economy to dominate policies: BJP is expected to face an increasingly disproportionate impact from the alliance partners thereby compromising the bargaining power significantly. Also, compared to the previous two election periods of 2014 and 2019, the influence of the opposition has grown stronger.
We might also see push & pull dynamics within the BJP. The imperatives of the coalition will preclude BJP’s ability to push through radical policies. Thus, making their policy inclination more towards executives rather than legislative policies. Also, with the upcoming major state elections in Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh, challenges for BJP will intensify.
Livelihood issues to have gained center stage: The underwhelming results for the BJP-led NDA government reflect the dominant role of the economic and livelihood issues faced by the voters in this election. Burgeoning household distress is reflected in the maximum vote share erosion of the BJP in the election results; the allurement of extended free-food distribution is not holding anymore as the need for productive employment is becoming a dominant necessity. Hence, in the forthcoming policies, livelihood issues of the Indian households will gain
