Department of Political Science

On 9 June 2024, Narendra Modi became India’s Prime Minister for a third consecutive term, a feat previously accomplished only by Jawaharlal Nehru. However, this historic victory also began one of the most uncertain periods of his prime ministership. The fractured outcome of India’s 18th general election has created a fundamentally different political landscape. Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) secured just 240 seats, a significant drop from its 2019 tally, and was therefore short of an absolute majority. Although the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) did win a majority, Modi will now be dependent upon coalition partners, necessitating a shift towards a more collaborative governance style.

India’s achievement in launching the Chandrayaan 3 lunar mission marks a turning point in its space exploration endeavours, with far-reaching implications that extend beyond technological success. This article discusses the strategic importance of Chandrayaan 3’s successful landing on the lunar surface, emphasizing its implications for India’s technological advancement, defense capabilities, education sector and economic growth. Furthermore, it delves into the challenges faced by the Indian space program, including limited budget allocations, technological dependencies, and market access. Drawing insights from global space initiatives, the article proposes strategic recommendations for realizing India’s full potential in the space domain, such as substantial investment, expertise in human spaceflight and private sector participation. Through a comprehensive analysis of Chandrayaan 3’s multidimensional impact, this article contributes to the scholarly discourse on space exploration and underscores India’s growing prominence in the global space community.

Political science, as a discipline, encompasses the systematic study of the state and its associated institutions through empirical and normative methods. However, the scope of political science has expanded to include research on various socioeconomic, cultural, and psychological factors that affect the functioning and governance of the state. Despite the global attention to political science research, there is a scarcity of studies specifically focused on political science literature in Asia. Therefore, this research article aims to fill this gap by conducting a comprehensive bibliometric analysis of political science publications in Asia. Utilizing Bibliometric Analysis data extracted from the Scopus database spanning the period from 1991 to 2023, various bibliometric indicators were employed to examine the political science literature. The indicators included measures such as annual growth of publications, international collaborations, impact factor, highly cited articles, active countries, institutions, journals, and authors. The findings shed light on the growth trajectory of political science publications, the extent of international collaborations, the influence of highly cited articles, and the key countries, institutions, journals, and authors contributing to the field. This study is a significant contribution to the field, as it addresses the gap in literature reviews specifically focused on political science in Asia.

This research article investigates the role and influence of nominated members in the Rajya Sabha, India’s upper house of Parliament. Drawing on the theoretical frameworks of representation theory and deliberative democracy, the study examines the contributions and effectiveness of nominated members in shaping legislative discussions and policy decisions. Findings indicate varying levels of engagement among nominated members, with some actively participating and advocating for specific causes. The study highlights the significance of nominating individuals with relevant expertise and diverse interests to enhance inclusivity in parliamentary representation.

In the 2023 Madhya Pradesh assembly elections, the Bharatiya Janata Party emerged victorious with a landslide majority. This electoral triumph, characterised by a significant mandate for the BJP, has undoubtedly reshaped the political dynamics of MP. In this context, the various strategic factors that cleared the BJP’s path from incumbency to dominance in MP are analysed.

Dhruv Rathee exemplifies the rise of YouTube as a platform for political commentary and social media activism in India. Blending factual rigour with conversational style he mobilises audiences against authoritarian drift under Modi. His influence highlights the transformative role of digital platforms while exposing tensions between YouTube influencers and traditional journalism.

This article examines Tamil Nadu’s policy response to caste violence in schools through Justice K Chandru’s 2024 committee report. Despite the state’s anti-caste ethos, structural and everyday caste discrimination persists. The report’s recommendations highlight enduring paradoxes of democracy in India and the challenges of dismantling caste-based fissures in public life.

The Kannada Language Comprehensive Development (Amendment) Bill, 2024, ratified by the Karnataka Legislative Assembly and Legislative Council, stands as a legislative landmark with profound implications. This commentary critically analyses the socio-economic-political implications, unravelling the intricate web of influences that the Kannada Language Comprehensive Development Bill introduces within the diverse and dynamic landscape of Karnataka.

Over the past few decades, the rhetoric of smart and futuristic cities has defined the agenda of urbanisation in India. The underpinnings of these projects are heroic assumptions of modernity(ies) to achieve new goals and aspirations often assuming forms of urban utopia and taking a disruptive approach to urban planning. Our research, which focuses on the capital project of Amaravati in Andhra Pradesh, shows how the idea of Amaravati in its built and imagined form makes sense to various stakeholders. The research was conducted using qualitative field-based research methods in four villages (Neerukonda, Kuragallu, Ionolu and Nowluru) in the Amaravati capital region. Based on recent interventions in the studies of postcolonial urbanism we propose three key arguments. First, Amaravati in its built and imagined form confirms and negotiates the global discourse on world class city. The second, idea of Amaravati is conceived and progressed by presenting a futuristic vision rooted in the historical patterns of Telugu aspirations for a modern technocratic state. Third, Amaravati embodies the spirit of speculative urbanism, and the project is propelled by the grammar of speed. Lastly, the chapter shows how the idea of world-class in the Global South is imagined and formed by a complex network of inter-referencing and worlding practices.

The Indo-Canadian standoff has sent shockwaves throughout the diplomatic world, furthering a clash of words and tension in the India-Canada relationship. Trudeau’s claims, suggesting Indian involvement in the assassination of a Canadian Khalistani leader, have sparked scepticism and heightened tensions, jeopardizing trust between the nations. The complexities are manifold, given Canada’s significant role as an ally and founding member of NATO, thus introducing multiple layers to this high-stake diplomatic standoff. Canada’s allegations are bolstered by recent concerns expressed by the United States along similar lines and the Five Eyes’ increased concern in the matter involving Indian intelligence agencies operating abroad. The future of India-Canada relations hangs in the balance as both nations embark on a path that could redefine their shared narrative amid turbulence and opportunity. This commentary analyses the development and ramifications of India- Canada deteriorating ties.

This review article analyses the wide-ranging influence of Hindutva in Indian politics over the decade of Narendra Modi’s tenure as Prime Minister of India. The study analyses the survival, reproduction, and development of Hindutvain conflict with modernisation processes in India despite the country’s secular constitutional democracy. This is achieved by examining the developments in the Indian political landscape and policy administration through the prism of the symbiotic relationship between the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), signalling the fusion of political power and Hindu religious principles. By contributing to the literature on religion and politics, through a comprehensive examination of political rhetoric, policy shifts, and societal attitudes, this review article examines the role of Hindutva in shaping the trajectory of governance and politics in India during Narendra Modi’s leadership.

The current study examined the association of social support and background variables with resilience among young adults exposed to traumatic and stressful events of armed conflict in Kashmir, India. Data were collected from 693 participants using a multi-stage sampling method. Findings revealed that social support and gender were positively associated with resilience, whereas education, income, and maternal education were negatively associated with resilience. Moreover, feeling insecure and psychologically distressed as a result of conflict was negatively associated with resilience, whereas, perception that Kashmir conflict will be resolved was positively associated with resilience. The findings suggest fostering of resilience in this population.

This chapter critically examines theoretical frameworks—including anthropocentrism, intrinsic value theory, and Deep Ecology—to argue for a fundamental shift in how humans relate to the environment. It maintains that the prevailing dynamic of domination and exploitation must be replaced by one rooted in care and ethical responsibility.

The Congress secured a thumping majority in the 2023 Karnataka assembly elections. The election results gave a much-required lifeline to the existential crisis faced by the Congress and opened the eyes of the Bharatiya Janata Party to recognise that the Prime Minister’s persona and the Hindutva card do not always get converted into votes.

Political communication refers to developing and exchanging political ideas and opinions among the general public, elected officials, political parties and affiliated organisations like the media. Recent years have seen an enormous amount of literature in the area of political communication owing to the growing interest of academics in the subject. Using the R package bibliometrix and the Visualisation of Similarities viewer programme, this study aims to enhance graphical mapping of the bibliographic data for political communication publications in select countries of Asia. The results show that, especially since 2016, scholars have been paying more and more attention to the study of political communication in the age of fake news, hyperpolarization, etc. They also show that research publications on the topics of communication, China, Taiwan, India, the USA, social media, articles, politics, the internet, decision-making, democracy, governance and elections are gaining momentum in recent years. Additionally, the findings show that the top three nations for publishing articles on political communication are the USA, China and Russia. The findings also reveal that even scholars from non-democratic or less democratic countries have made substantial attempts to improve political communication studies, despite the fact that political communication is one of the most crucial components in democratic countries.

The idea of “one nation, one election” has gained considerable attention and debate in the Indian political landscape. This article critically examines the feasibility of implementing simultaneous elections in India, analysing its potential to streamline the electoral process, and enhance governance efficiency.

Long-standing democracies such as India were not exempt from the global trend of democratic retreat. India has come under increasing international attention due to certain domestic policies such as the revocation of Article 370 of the Indian Constitution, the National Register of Citizens and Citizenship (Amendment) Act passed under the Bharatiya Janata Party government. In addition to India’s democratic decline being reflected in global democratic rankings, this has induced strains on India’s foreign relations. In its pursuit of becoming a leading power, India’s perceived democratic backsliding is likely to influence the direction of its foreign policy. To discern the impact of its perceived illiberal turn on its foreign engagement, the role of democracy in India’s foreign policy needs to be explored. While attempts have been made to understand democratic backsliding through a theoretical lens, the impact of a nation’s democratic status on its foreign relations and policy remains a largely unexplored area.

In the age of information, communication and technology, the digitalisation of governance is quintessential for implementing a culture of transparency and accountability in administration. India is a quasi-federal state and administration happens at the centre and state levels. In this context, this article makes a comparative study of the digitalisation of the Right to Information (RTI) Act in India at the centre and state levels of administration and governance. The article looks at the legislation on the right to information, the factors that motivated the digitalisation of the RTI Act, the importance of the RTI Act under Sustainable Development Goals and the political reasons behind the inadequate operationalisation of the RTI Act. The article concludes with a summary of the arguments and key policy recommendations.

Samuel Phillips Huntington's thesis on the 'Third Wave' of democratization, as presented in his seminal work “The Third Wave: Democratization in the Late Twentieth Century”, posited democracy as the preeminent and widely accepted form of governance. While democracy may prevail quantitatively in contemporary times, it grapples with numerous challenges in terms of its qualitative aspects. This research article identifies the dearth of ethical values as a significant factor contributing to the erosion of democracies worldwide. Moreover, this erosion has the potential to incite a 'new wave against democracy'. Consequently, this article aims to explore the potential remedy for this issue by anchoring democracy in an ethically conscious society. We contend that an ethically grounded society serves as a fundamental prerequisite for nurturing a high-quality and prosperous democracy, ultimately acting as a formidable barrier against the imminent and looming threats to democratic systems.

The representation of women in Indian politics has been low and inadequate, with women comprising only 14.4% of the members of the 17th Lok Sabha. Despite numerous policy measures aimed at promoting women’s political representation, the underrepresentation of women remains a persistent challenge. This study seeks to understand the intersection of culture and politics in explaining the underrepresentation of women in Indian democracy. The research explores the civic political culture of women’s political participation. The findings suggest that a change in the civic political culture, through a multifaceted approach, is crucial in breaking down the glass ceiling in Indian politics.