indian elections

In a completely unexpected turn of events, the Hindu fundamentalist (though less so these days) Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) lost the Indian Elections, which they were widely expected to win. The Congress Party won the elections, and while they did not gain a majority of the seats (normal for Indian elections), they gained enough that … Continue reading “indian elections”

In a completely unexpected turn of events, the Hindu fundamentalist (though less so these days) Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) lost the Indian Elections, which they were widely expected to win. The Congress Party won the elections, and while they did not gain a majority of the seats (normal for Indian elections), they gained enough that Sonia Gandhi is likely to be able to form a coalition government with her as the Prime Minister. Any moderate Indian should be thrilled at this turn of events.

Also pleasing to me were the election results in Gujarat and Maharashtra, in which the Congress Party made significant gains. This is especially important in Gujarat, where BJP sponsored violence against the minority Muslim population there under the direct leadership of Chief Minister Narendra Modi claimed the lives and livelihoods of thousands of Muslims.