The BJP's Toolkit of Propaganda, Provocation and Polarisation
Despite years of misrule and a litany of failures, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) continues to notch up victory after victory. Commentators often chalk this up to Amit Shah’s vaunted “management skills,” but that’s a convenient half-truth. Nor is it credible to claim voters are voting out poor governance in the opposition-ruled states; the BJP’s record is arguably the worst of the lot. The reality is more layered.
Election Commission's tilt
The Election Commission of India (ECI) has long faced serious accusations of bias. From duplicate voters in the electoral rolls and selective use of verification software to the opaque deletion of Muslim voters, its credibility is under severe strain. Brazen pre-poll inducements by the BJP government are brushed aside, and violations of the code of conduct by BJP leaders go unpunished. With the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC), seen as close to Amit Shah and shielded by legal immunity extended by the present government, oversight and collusion have become the new normal.
Judiciary’s inconsistency
Courts intervene arbitrarily. At times they dismiss disenfranchisement as trivial, or say they’ll only review results if the margin is smaller than the number of deleted votes. This undermines trust in electoral fairness as well as the courts’ role as a guardian of the constitution.
Agencies as weapons
Central agencies are deployed like political hitmen. Opposition leaders, campaign managers like I-PAC, and media figures like Prannoy Roy have been harassed or jailed until things are settled in favour of BJP, only to be acquitted later. It’s intimidation masquerading as law enforcement.
Propaganda and provocation
BJP thrives on endless communal incitement. Its leaders warned Bengal will be “dominated by Urdu,” without bothering to check that the official language of Bangladesh is Bangla and not Urdu. They routinely exaggerate threats from Muslims, and stoke fears about Hindu safety. Lofty promises – women’s security, job creation, prosperity – ring hollow against their own record. A loyal big media amplifies the narrative, while the prime minister himself spends more time campaigning than governing, turning state machinery into a stage for theatrics and party propaganda apparatus.
Bullying and buying rivals
Opposition leaders are pressured, raided, or simply bought off. With deep corporate backing and limitless funds, BJP lures or coerces rivals into defecting. Watchdogs like the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) flag massive irregularities on several accounts, but their warnings vanish into the void. Analysts then rebrand this brute force as “political skill.”
Total control mentality
The BJP leadership never lets up. Even after deploying every tactic in the book, they push for absolute control right up to the final moment. In another context, such relentless drive might be admirable. Here, it translates into unfair electoral dominance. Too many commentators mistake this obsession for the sole reason behind BJP’s victories, ignoring the wider and more important factors mentioned above at play.
Diffused and weakened opposition
Most non-Congress opposition parties are personality-driven. Leaders like Arvind Kejriwal, Mamata Banerjee, Akhilesh Yadav, Tejashwi Yadav, and M.K. Stalin focus more on guarding their own turf than advancing a national vision. Congress, though older and battered, has Rahul Gandhi raising sharp questions time and again, but they hardly find wider resonance. Also, he lacks command over the party machine.
Against the Modi–Shah combine, the real danger isn’t just electoral setbacks. It’s the erosion of democracy, institutions, and social harmony. India’s global standing has slipped, economic decline is masked with doctored data, and religious vigilantism has been emboldened. Yet opposition parties treat this as secondary. Instead of uniting, they remain fragmented, consumed by personal ambition.
The opposition faces a formidable adversary in BJP’s vast machinery. Their sluggish response has already cost them ground. Had they forged unity earlier, the landscape might look very different today. Even now, before the window closes completely, collective action is possible – perhaps even boycotting elections that increasingly resemble a farce. But so far, no shared, country-first vision has emerged.
Polarised society
Indian society has become deeply polarised. Modi’s most ardent supporters are not the majority – indeed, their ranks may even be thinning – but they remain a powerful bloc. This group refuses to acknowledge decline, instead embracing an aggressive, anti-Muslim Hindutva identity. For them, criticism of Modi is tantamount to a personal insult. They chant “Aayega to Modi” (Modi will win irrespective of whatever anyone says) equating his self-glorification with greatness. Even religion is reframed: Lord Ram is acceptable as Modi’s companion or as a kid led by Modi. Any evidence that challenges this narrative is branded treason, and those who present it are cast as traitors.
Independent India has never seen polarisation at this extreme. Yet world history, especially the 20th century, offers chilling parallels. The current trajectory fits those patterns with uncanny precision. Societies that succumb to such illusions eventually look back with shame, while future scholars dissect how entire communities could surrender to myth over reality.
How long India will remain trapped in this phase is impossible to predict. What is clear is that polarisation corrodes not just politics, but the very fabric of society and democracy, leaving behind scars that take long time to heal.
Urvish Kothari is a writer and satirist based in Gujarat.
This article went live on May fifth, two thousand twenty six, at fifteen minutes past five in the evening.The Wire is now on WhatsApp. Follow our channel for sharp analysis and opinions on the latest developments.
