India 2019: A Transformative Election?

India’s 2019 general election returned Prime Minister Narendra Modi, leader of the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), to a second term in office. The BJP increased its parliamentary majority and expanded beyond its core regions. Its victory was all the more impressive given the economy’s mediocre performance during Modi’s first five years in office and serious signs of political disaffection, including BJP losses in important state-level elections, just months before the national campaign commenced. Modi’s ability to turn things around is a testament to his personal popularity as well as the BJP’s well-funded and organized political machine. But it also reflects the party’s willingness to stoke nationalist passions, target minority groups, harass civil society, politicize national security, and undermine institutions of accountability. Despite the BJP’s impressive showing, and some of the methods by which it was achieved, claims that the 2019 election represents a transformation in the nature of Indian politics should be treated with caution.

印度2019： 一场变革性的选举？

关键词： 印度，选举，发展，民族主义，非自由民主制。

2019年的印度大选将印度人民党(BJP) 领袖、总理纳伦德拉·莫迪推上第二期任期。印度人民党的议会多数党议席也得以增加，并且扩展到其核心选民区域以外。 鉴于莫迪的头一个任期内经济上的平庸表现， 以及政治不满的严重迹象，包括印度人民党在全国竞选开始前数月间在重要的州内选举中的失利，该党取得的选举胜利就尤为令人刮目相看。莫迪扭转局面的能力的确证明了他个人受欢迎的程度，以及印度人民党政治机器的充裕资金和良好组织。但这也反映出该党甘愿刺激民族主义激情、针对少数群体进行攻击、骚扰公民社会、政治化国家安全问题，以及破坏问责机制。 尽管印度人民党的表现以及实现这些目标的一些手段令人印象深刻，然而宣称2019年选举代表了印度政治性质的变革的说法还是应该加以谨慎对待。

Translated from English by Li Guo