Elections in the world's largest democracy: Can Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi begin his third term?

The question of why elections in India are so important can be answered by the country's increasingly important place on the international stage.

The country is experiencing tremendous economic growth and has the world's fifth-largest economy, which will be worth €3,400 billion in 2023. Modi promises that if re-elected, the country will continue to grow into the third-largest economy, after China and the United States.

This makes India a desirable partner for other major powers. In June 2023, Prime Minister Modi went to the United States, where he met US President Joe Biden. The newspapers headlined “Historic Visit” after the Prime Minister was allowed to address the House of Representatives for the second time. No Indian Prime Minister has ever done this to him.

The US Institute of Peace describes India as “an essential partner in Washington's Indo-Asian strategy.” The fact that the United States is looking towards India is partly due to competition with the other global giant, China.

China sees India as making a rapid upward movement and is trying to curb this growth. In addition, there are some territorial disputes. The fact that two Asian giants live so close to each other causes tensions.