Rural voters left out of India's growth story deal blow to BJP

Economic success failed to raise living standards for all and widened income gaps

- Rohini Mohan

Strong economic growth meant little to millions who are in distress in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s India.

India’s powerhouse economy expanded 8.2 per cent in the 2023 financial year, extending similarly robust top-line growth numbers in the preceding few years.

But this failed to be a vote-winner for the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the 2024 general election – particularly among the poor and the middle class.

Despite India being the world’s fastest-growing economy and home to some of the world’s wealthiest people, the nation’s economic success has not raised the living standards equitably and, in some instances, worsened income inequalities.

For this, Mr Modi’s incumbent government paid the price.

The BJP’s greatest losses in the election that ended on June 1 came from rural India, which was a stronghold for the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in the past two terms.

The NDA lost 44 rural seats in 2024 from its tally in 2019, most noticeably in the northern states of Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Haryana, and in the western state of Maharashtra, where surveys registered discontent among farmers and young people.

Farmers from the three northern states had mounted huge protests in 2020 and 2021, demanding better crop prices and opposing farm laws passed without consultation. After a long stand-off, Mr Modi was forced to withdraw these laws.

There have also been millions migrating to cities across India searching desperately for meaningful work. Those who managed to return to their home towns seem to have voted for politicians who spoke directly to their situation.

The Congress-led India bloc gained 77 rural seats with an election campaign focused on job creation and improving farmers’ incomes.