With 970 million voters eligible to vote over seven phases from 19 April to 1 June, the 2024 general election in India is celebrated as the world’s largest-ever electoral exercise. As Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his party seek a third term in office, the election unfolds against a backdrop of deepening polarization and inequality, insistent questions about the nature and robustness of India’s democracy, increasing concern about its constitutional and institutional arrangements and a sharp decline in its scores on major democracy indices. Recent events, like the arrests of opposition leaders and controversies about political financing, have exacerbated such fears.

Where does Indian democracy stand and where is it headed?

Join leading scholars of India as they discuss what the general election means for India, what it represents in the context of its democracy, and what implications it might have for the future.

Speakers:

Mukulika Banerjee, Associate Professor, Department of Anthropology, London School of Economics and Political Science

Shruti Kapila, Professor of History and Politics, Cambridge University

James Manor, Professor Emeritus of Commonwealth Studies in the School of Advanced Study, University of London

Moderator:

Tripurdaman Singh, Ambizione Research Fellow, Albert Hirschman Centre on Democracy, Geneva Graduate Institute

This event is organised in collaboration with the Association Genève-Asie (AGA) and is part of the Albert Hirschman Centre on Democracy’s programme of activities on “Democracy in 2024: What is at stake?”