Barring a huge political upset, Narendra Modi looks likely to begin a third term as India’s prime minister soon after June 4th, when the results of the general election will be announced. But the poll has not been pretty.
Arvind Kejriwal, an opposition leader who is Delhi’s chief minister, was arrested on corruption charges that he calls a political sham. Mr Modi, seemingly unnerved by the low turnout, has ramped up inflammatory rhetoric towards India’s Muslim minority while on the campaign trail. Although voting itself has been generally unproblematic, most Western officials agree that Mr Modi has tilted the political pitch significantly by suppressing dissent and weakening democratic institutions. How should they deal with Mr Modi, particularly if his Bharatiya Janata Party (bjp) is emboldened by a large mandate?
