FOCUS ON RELIGIOUS IDENTITY POLITICS BACKFIRED
Analysts said the BJP’s focus on religious identity politics backfired in the end.
Mr Jagdeep Chhokar, founder of non-profit Association for Democratic Reforms, told CNA: “Unemployment, poverty, state of the economy, deprivation – these were the main issues I think which got the electorate to vote in favour of the opposition.”
Data also showed an improvement in opposition performance among women, a key demographic. Female voters have become increasingly significant in the Indian electorate over the past two decades, turning out in equal numbers to men.
In response, politicians have stepped up their game to woo female voters.
While on the campaign trail, the BJP banked on subsidised cooking gas and free rations. Meanwhile, the INDIA bloc promised to reserve half of government jobs for women if it came into power.
These overtures could have helped the bloc gain 7 per cent more support among women this election.
It won 34 per cent of their votes, possibly from new and non-aligned voters, while the BJP and its allies kept their vote share among women steady at 43 per cent.
