ABSTRACT
Indian politics and society are in a state of considerable flux, and Hindu nationalism has emerged as a more dominant force than ever before. Recent years have seen an unprecedented surge in the electoral gains of the leading Hindu nationalist political force, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). It came to power with its first overall majority in 2014 following an innovative and resoundingly successful campaign by its controversial leader, Narendra Modi, and party president, Amit Shah. They were helped by Congress’ ineffectiveness, reputation for endemic corruption, and lacklustre leadership, enabling the BJP to lead the country for the first time since their National Democratic Alliance coalition government a decade earlier.
