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PoliticsIndia

Will India's new coalition government rein in Narendra Modi?

June 13, 2024

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has won his third consecutive term in power, but coalition politics could leave him with less control and curb his authoritative style. Is this good news for India's largest minority?

https://p.dw.com/p/4h0GY

Narendra Modi's win in this year's Indian election was historic. He became the first prime minister since Jawaharlal Nehru, one of India's founding fathers, to earn a third term.

But the result was still disappointing for his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as it fell 32 seats short of a majority in India's 543-member lower house of parliament. That means Modi, who enjoyed a majority in his first two terms as prime minister, will have to work in a coalition government.

"Mr. Modi is not known to be somebody who works with a coalition. He is known as somebody who makes his own decisions," journalist Smita Shamra told DW. "He is not used to really being questioned."

Find out how India's new government dynamic will work and what it could mean for a nation aspiring to be a global power.