On February 18, in his speech at the National Council of the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP), the prime minister confidently stated that despite the polls being months away, he was already receiving invitations from other nations for events after the elections, suggesting widespread anticipation of his return to power. Moreover, he boldly proclaimed that the ruling alliance would secure more than 400 seats in parliament, a majority rarely witnessed in Indian politics.
While his supporters claim Modi’s popularity and his party’s perceived integrity allow for such audacious predictions, the opposition argues that the prime minister’s confidence stems from his government’s tightening stranglehold on the nation’s democratic institutions, law enforcement agencies and even media. On March 20, one of the opposition’s principal leaders, Delhi’s Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, was arrested on corruption charges lodged by the central government’s anti-corruption agency.
