India’s general elections, which will be spread over multiple weeks, kicked off on Friday with voting in 102 of the country’s 543 constituencies.
The outcome of this mammoth exercise is not really in doubt. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has maintained, if not increased, his favorability ratings since he last won re-election in 2019. Such enduring popularity, in an age when most democratically elected leaders are struggling, can appear mystifying.
The standard "pocketbook” argument clearly does not explain Modi’s success. While India’s economy might be posting impressive growth numbers, employment and wages have not kept up.