logo
episode-header-image
Jun 2024
51m 38s

Why India’s Modi Underperformed

Foreign Policy
About this episode

From pundits to polls, there was a wide expectation this year that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi would not only win a rare third consecutive term, but also secure an even bigger parliamentary majority than he had before. As results emerged on Tuesday, it was clear that India’s voters had other ideas. Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party won the most seats—more than the entire opposition alliance combined—but it will need the help of coalition allies to form a government. 

How will Modi govern in a third term, and what will it mean for the world? FP’s Ravi Agrawal is joined by experts Milan Vaishnav and Yamini Aiyar to discuss. 

Suggested reading:

Ravi Agrawal: Why Modi Underperformed

Devesh Kapur: Modi’s Power Has Peaked 

Sushant Singh:Modi’s Campaign Rhetoric Is Dangerous

Ravi Agrawal: The New Idea of India

Mukul Kesavan: 4 Books to Understand Modern India

Josh Felman and Josh Felman: Is India Really the Next China?

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Up next
Today
Trump, Netanyahu, and the Future of the Middle East
New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman sits down with Ravi Agrawal to debrief this week’s meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House. Friedman is also the author of From Beirut to Jerusalem, among other books. Th ... Show More
33m 35s
Jul 2
Why Zbig Still Matters
Journalist Edward Luce is the author of a new biography on President Jimmy Carter’s national security advisor Zbig: The Life of Zbigniew Brzezinski, America’s Great Power Prophet. He joins FP Live to share how this grand strategist’s legacy still shapes foreign policy today. Theo ... Show More
47m 32s
Jun 27
How India Is Navigating the Trump Era
How does India view a shifting world order? Former national security advisor Shivshankar Menon sits down with Ravi Agrawal to discuss New Delhi’s vision in a period defined by geopolitical flux and several global conflicts. Menon is also the author of Choices: Inside the Making o ... Show More
19m 9s
Recommended Episodes
May 2024
India’s historic election
India’s general election ends this weekend, with Prime Minister Nerendra Modi leading the polls. Today on “Post Reports,” we unpack where Modi’s support comes from and what a win for his party would mean for the world’s largest democracy.Read more:For more than a month, people a ... Show More
27m 41s
Jun 2024
Has Narendra Modi's strategy to shape India failed?
He failed to get the sweeping majority he promised voters...India's Narendra Modi will now have to join a coalition to form a government. He's been accused of promoting divisive policies. But what lesson has this vote sent to his party? And will there be change? In this episode: ... Show More
25m 18s
May 2024
Modi’s mission
Narendra Modi looks set to win a third term in office thanks to the popularity of his economic policies. But the Indian prime minister has a vision of a Hindu homeland that clashes with the country’s original secular values. Gideon talks to Ravi Agrawal, editor-in-chief of Foreig ... Show More
26m 10s
May 2024
One Strongman, One Billion Voters, and the Future of India
India is in the midst of a national election and its prime minister, Narendra Modi, is running to extend his 10 years in power.Mr. Modi has become one of the most consequential leaders in India’s history, while also drawing criticism for anti-democratic practices and charges of r ... Show More
33m 12s
Jun 2024
India’s Modi Set for Election Setback
A.M. Edition for June 4. Early election results from India showed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ruling party struggling to hold onto a majority after encountering a strong fight from a revived opposition. WSJ correspondent Shan Li explains what that could mean for Modi’s future, ... Show More
14m 43s
Apr 2024
India election: Modi’s popularity, Hindu pride and global status
Voting is underway in India’s election, the world’s biggest. From the icy Himalayas to humid jungles nearly a billion people are eligible to vote over the next six weeks. It is a test of Prime Minister’s Narendra Modi’s drive to boost the economy and the country’s global status. ... Show More
18m 37s
Jun 2024
Inde : une victoire sans éclat pour Narendra Modi
Une victoire sans éclat pour Narendra Modi….c’est ainsi que l’on peut décrire la situation au terme des élections générales qui se sont déroulées sur plusieurs semaines en Inde et viennent de se terminer. Près d’un milliard d’électeurs étaient appelés aux urnes. Le BJP, le puissa ... Show More
50 m
Mar 2024
How India came to embrace the politics of Hindutva
The politics of Hindu nationalism have played a central role in the dramatic rise of the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. As the elections have neared, the Modi regime has turbocharged its Hindu-first agenda - best exemplified in the inauguration of the Ram Temple in the cit ... Show More
25m 23s
Apr 2024
'Influencer of influencers': Modi's strategy to win the Indian election
India's PM Narendra Modi is favoured to win a third term as 970 million voters hit the polls in a six-week general election. Using an aggressive digital campaign, he’s doubling down on Hindu nationalism and promising more development. However, crackdowns on opposition and the pre ... Show More
30m 48s
Sep 2023
Sharp Edge with Vir Sanghvi : ’We were India since Alexander’s time, why drag the British into it?’ : Vir Sanghvi
'Till recently it has always been the BJP that celebrates the use of India over Bharat. Atal Bihari Vajpayee lost an election by telling us that India was shining, Modi launched Make in India. So, is BJP so annoyed by Opposition alliance naming itself 'INDIA', that it prompted a ... Show More
9m 37s