Unpacking India’s Elections: Implications and Next Steps

Earlier this month, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi won reelection, giving him a third straight term—a feat achieved by only one other Indian leader, independence hero Jawaharlal Nehru. But Modi and his party failed to gain an outright majority, meaning that Modi will now have to lead a governing coalition for the first time. In this Indo-Pacific Program discussion, a group of past and present Wilson Center fellows take stock of the election results and what they mean for India. They look in particular at implications for the economy—including reform prospects—and for Hindu nationalism, as well as for foreign policy.

The panelists are Venkat Lokanathan, former Indian NSC and Wilson Center Global Fellow; Neeti Nair, professor of history, University of Virginia and Wilson Center Global Fellow; Ajay Shankar, Distinguished Fellow, The Energy and Resources Institute (New Delhi), and former Wilson Center Public Policy Fellow; and Ajay Verghese, associate professor, Middlebury College, and Wilson Center Fellow. Wilson Center Indo-Pacific Program Deputy Director Michael Kugelman moderates the discussion.