India’s prime minister, Narendra Modi, cut a confident figure as 2023 drew to a close. As his Bharatiya Janata party (BJP) swept three major state elections in December, Modi did not hold back from predicting that “this hat-trick has guaranteed the 2024 victory”.
It was a sign that with less than six months to go before the general election, in which Modi seeks a third term in power, campaign season has begun with gusto.
In India’s current political