The world’s largest elections are over and they have delivered a surprise in India. While we will get more detailed analysis in the coming days, what is for certain is that the elections mark a return to coalition politics in the world’s largest democracy.

Uzair spoke to Rahul Verma about what the results mean for India, Narendra Modi, and the country’s democracy. We also talked about what the BJP and Congress got right, what they are likely to do next, and the role of coalition allies moving forward.

Rahul Verma is Fellow at the Centre for Policy Research, New Delhi, and Visiting Assistant Professor in the Department of Political Science, Ashoka University, Sonipat. He has a PhD in Political Science from the University of California, Berkeley. His research interests include political representation, political parties, and voting behaviour.

He is a regular columnist for various news platforms, and a regular TV commentator on elections, party politics, voting behavior, and public opinion polls. His book co-authored with Pradeep Chhibber, Ideology and Identity: The Changing Party Systems of India, develops a new approach to defining the contours of what constitutes an ideology in multi-ethnic countries such as India. He recently co-edited a volume with Sudha Pai & Shyam Babu - Dalits in the New Millennium.

Chapters:

0:00 Introduction

1:30 Key takeaways from the elections

8:30 Has Hindutva reached its peak?

21:30 Return of coalition politics

29:10 Scope for reforms in a coalition

33:50 What to look for in the near-term

38:47 Reading recommendations

Reading recommendations:

- Coalition Politics and Economic Development: Credibility and the Strength of Weak Governments by Irfan Nooruddin

- Ideology and Identity: The Changing Party Systems of India by Rahul Verma and Pradeep Chhibber

- Raag Darbari by Shrilal Shukla