Indian Youth Express Growing Discontent Amidst Election Concerns

Recent demonstrations have swept across India, fueled by concerns over the alleged politically motivated purging of electoral rolls. Protesters are angered by the removal of approximately 130 million names from voter lists by election authorities, who state the exercise is intended to eliminate ineligible voters. Critics, however, contend the process, known as the Special Intensive Revision, is designed to benefit Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and have called for the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.

The protests have been met with a strong response from Indian authorities, including a lockdown in the capital, New Delhi. Leaders of the youth-led Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), which emerged earlier this year, have been detained. An Indian court recently extended the detention of two CJP leaders, Ashutosh Ranka and Saurav Das, who were arrested following a rally.

The CJP gained prominence over the summer by campaigning for the removal of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, who resigned on July 25. While the recent march to the Supreme Court was organized by the Congress Party and other conventional political parties, a prominent CJP figure, Neha Bora, participated.

Historian and novelist Mukul Kesavan described a shift in the government's approach to the CJP. Initially, authorities underestimated the movement, but a large youth turnout at a previous protest led to a strategic change. Kesavan noted that the government now employs pre-emptive detentions to prevent large public confrontations that could be captured on camera, a tactic learned after previous police actions were widely criticized.

Kesavan suggested that the recent events have damaged the image of India's elections, which were significantly reformed in the early 1990s by T.N. Seshan. He argued that a recent law, which gives the government a majority on the panel that appoints election commissioners, has compromised the institution's impartiality. He stated that the Election Commission has become "grotesquely partisan," and the Special Intensive Revision process has "so obviously tried to shape the electoral roll to favor the BJP that the institution has been publicly discredited," drawing parallels to "electoral autocracies elsewhere like Turkey."

Regarding Prime Minister Modi's standing, Kesavan observed that his "aura of menace and authority has dissipated." He suggested that the actions and presence of young protesters, particularly young women, have made Modi appear "ridiculous, old and out of touch." While the protests signal discontent, Kesavan stated that their impact on Modi's electoral prospects will only be evident in future elections, and opposition parties must find ways to translate this "fizz into votes."

Kesavan also reflected on Modi's legacy, acknowledging achievements in infrastructure like road and airport construction, which he described as typical of authoritarian leaders. However, he pointed to geopolitical setbacks, including strained relations with neighbors and a difficult relationship with China. Kesavan emphasized the degradation of the republic's institutions—the press, courts, and Election Commission—and identified the normalization of "Hindu supremacy" rhetoric as Modi's most significant "achievement."

Comparing India's situation to other countries with large youth populations, Kesavan noted that many South Asian nations, including Nepal and Bangladesh, suffer from generally poor education systems, with a few exceptions. He contrasted this with China's success in improving its educational system at all levels, finding India's failure in this area "demoralizing."