In the end it was not quite the landslide mandate incumbent Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had anticipated.
Far from the pre-election sloganeering that predicted 400 seats out of 543 in India‘s lower house of parliament, the Lok Sabha, the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) managed 294, more than the 272 required to form the next government. The number was significantly lower than the 353 the alliance secured in the 2019 general election. The BJP lost its outright 2019 majority of 303 seats and saw its tally reduced to 241 in 2024. To form the next government and rule for a third consecutive term, it will need the support of its electoral allies.
The Indian National Congress-led opposition on the other hand made massive gains compared to 2019. Then called the United Progressive Alliance, the opposition had secured 91 seats, including 52 for the Congress. In 2024, the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) won 231 seats, which include 99 for the Congress.
Proclaiming victory, Modi posted: “People have placed their faith in NDA, for a third consecutive time! This is a historical feat in India’s history. I bow to the Janata Janardan [the electorate] for this affection and assure them that we will continue the good work done in the last decade to keep fulfilling the aspirations of people.”
The BJP returned to power on a manifesto that extolled its governance since the Modi wave that began in 2014 and continued in the 2019 general election. From a global entertainment industry perspective, the BJP government’s biggest achievement was implementing a 30% reimbursement scheme for international productions shooting in India in 2022. This went up to 40% in 2023 and the cap limit for the reimbursement was also significantly raised from a maximum of $300,000 to $3.5 million, with an additional 5% rebate bonus for significant Indian content.
The BJP’s 2024 manifesto did not directly address the media. Instead it promised several actions that would directly help the film and media industry, including world class infrastructure in transport and innovation in AI.
The Congress manifesto on the other hand did address the media directly, promising to amend the Press Council of India Act, 1978 “to strengthen the system of self-regulation, protect journalistic freedoms, uphold editorial independence and guard against government interference.” The Congress also said it would pass a law to curb monopolies in the media, cross-ownership of different segments of the media, and control of the media by business organizations.
“Many new laws (e.g. the Broadcasting Services (Regulation) Bill, 2023; Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023; Press and Registration of Periodicals Act, 2023, etc.) give unbridled powers of censorship to the government,” the Congress manifesto said. “The first named Bill will be withdrawn. The restrictive provisions of the two Acts will be amended or deleted to eliminate backdoor censorship.”
Taking the theme of censorship further, the Congress said it would amend the Cinematograph Act, 1952 to “provide that the Central Board of Film Certification grants graded certificates to according to transparent and reasonable criteria.”
Source Agencies
