India’s democracy needs a stronger opposition

Over the next six weeks nearly a billion Indians will cast their votes. If the polls are right, the general election will be a triumph for Narendra Modi, the prime minister. His Bharatiya Janata Party (bjp) will secure another big majority; he will serve a third term. For the opposition, disaster beckons. The Congress party, which led the struggle for Indian independence and dominated politics for decades afterwards, is headed for a third consecutive defeat. With luck, this will be a Schumpeterian moment that forces it to reform: the health of India’s democracy depends on it.