In this episode of Orion Talks, Marta Furlan is joined by Dr Rahul Verma to discuss and explain India’s latest elections. Dr Verma reflects on some of the reasons – economic anxiety, unemployment, disaffection – that may explain why the BJP (the party of Prime Minister Narendra Modi) fared worse than expected and lost a number of seats. He then explains in great detail some of the specific factors that may have contributed to the BJP’s loss in Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, and Maharashtra, which are the three electorally most important states in the country. Reflecting on the election results, Dr Verma also guides us through some of the reasons why Congress Party (the party led by opposition leader Rahul Gandhi) improved its result with respect to previous elections. Finally, he shares his thoughts on how the election results and the BJP’s need to form a coalition government may affect – or not – the Prime Minister’s capacity to push for the wanted policies.
Dr Verma is a Fellow at the Centre for Policy Research (CPR). He is also Visiting Assistant Professor in the Department of Political Science, Ashoka University. His research interests include voting behavior, party politics, political violence, and media. He is a regular columnist for various news platforms and has published papers in Asian Survey, Economic & Political Weekly, and Studies in Indian Politics. He also co-authored a book with Pradeep Chhibber entitled “Ideology and Identity: The Changing Party Systems of India”. Dr Verma has a PhD in Political Science from the University of California at Berkeley. His doctoral dissertation examined why some political families flourish, and others decline quickly. He completed his MPhil in Political Science from Delhi University, MA in Development Studies from Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), Mumbai, and BA from Kirori Mal College, Delhi University.
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