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ISLAMABAD: India&rsquo;s delimitation battle has become the newest front in the charge that Prime Minister Narendra Modi&rsquo;s BJP is not merely fighting elections but trying to lock in power structurally.&nbsp; Local media, opposition parties and critics on social media are accusing BJP of reshaping the political system of India itself in a desparate attempt to hold onto power. Delimitation of parliamentCritics in the South say a post-2026 redraw of Lok Sabha seats could shift weight toward the more populous Hindi belt, where the BJP has long drawn its core strength, and dilute the clout of states that have resisted it electorally.&nbsp; The Wire has warned that the plan could marginalise southern states in Parliament, with the opposition saying that even a blanket seat increase carries &ldquo;deeper implications&rdquo; for the federal balance.&nbsp; One Nation, One ElectionBefore that came the push for &ldquo;One Nation, One Election.&rdquo; The BJP calls it efficiency. Critics see something harsher: the compression of state politics into one nationalised contest dominated by the country&rsquo;s biggest political machine, BJP.&nbsp; Digital News outlet Scroll reported concerns that simultaneous elections would erode federalism by subsuming regional issues and identities.&nbsp; CAA Rules, 2024Then came the Citezenship Amendment Act rules, notified in March 2024 on the eve of the general election.&nbsp; The Wire reported that BJP leaders in West Bengal publicly tied implementation to the coming polls, and later said the first citizenship certificates were granted ahead of the final phase of voting in a move that could benefit the BJP in West Bengal.&nbsp; Critics have long argued that the law helps the BJP sharpen Hindu-majoritarian consolidation at election time.&nbsp; Electoral bonds scandalThe electoral bonds scandal, 2024, laid bare the money machine. The Wire reported that the BJP redeemed INR 82.5 billion, just short of half of all bonds sold under the now-struck-down scheme.&nbsp; In blunt political terms, critics say anonymous money helped build a campaign apparatus no rival could match.&nbsp; Restructuring election commissioner appointing committee&nbsp;In 2023, Modi&rsquo;s government changed the law on appointing Election Commissioners, replacing the Chief Justice of India on the selection panel with a Union cabinet minister.&nbsp; Scroll reported that challenges to the law argued it let the executive tighten its grip over the body meant to referee elections.&nbsp; Use of central agenciesRunning underneath all this since 2014 has been the use of central agencies, especially the Enforcement Directorate.&nbsp; Scroll, citing official-data analysis, reported that Enforcement Directorate raids and searches rose 86 times under the Modi government compared with the previous decade.&nbsp;Critics say the Enforcement Directorate helps the BJP stay in power by putting opposition leaders under legal and political pressure, draining their time, money and campaign focus. They also point to a &ldquo;washing machine&rdquo; pattern, in which action against some opposition politicians weakens or stalls after they join the BJP or its allies, creating pressure on rivals to defect and fragmenting the opposition. Taken together, these measures have fueled opposition allegations that the BJP has used changes in representation, election timing, campaign finance, institutions and investigative pressure to strengthen its long-term political advantage.

India

India’s delimitation dispute has renewed opposition allegations that Narendra Modi’s BJP has used seat redistribution, simultaneous poll plans, the CAA, electoral funding, institutional changes and central agencies to build lasting political advantage and weaken rivals since coming to power in 2014.

BJP accused of reshaping India’s political system to retain power

ISLAMABAD: A blast at Manipur University and protests over a planned census have renewed focus on instability in Manipur, where displacement, ethnic tensions and insecurity continue despite official claims of normalcy. A bomb explosion at Manipur University on Sunday evening was a fresh sign that the conflict-hit state is still far from normal, despite repeated official claims of stability, the Times of India reported. According to local media reports, the blast took place near staff quarters on the Canchipur campus, damaging property and causing panic. No casualties were reported, but university officials described it as an attack on &ldquo;education, peace, and harmony.&rdquo; The blast came as opposition grows to the government&rsquo;s plan to go ahead with the national census. Thousands of internally displaced persons and the Manipur Pradesh Congress Committee have urged authorities to delay the exercise until people forced from their homes by the violence are properly resettled. Critics say a census held now would distort population data and affect future political representation and development planning. The dispute points to the deeper crisis in Manipur. As The Economist recently noted, &quot;the state is still shaped by the ethnic violence that broke out in May 2023&quot; between the largely Hindu Meiteis and the mainly Christian Kukis. The conflict is rooted in long-running tensions over identity, rights and resources, and it has left hundreds dead and thousands of homes destroyed. Those figures broadly match international reporting. When New Delhi imposed President&rsquo;s Rule in February 2025, Reuters reported that at least 250 people had been killed and around 60,000 displaced. Yet even after such large-scale loss and displacement, both the state and central governments have continued to project an image of recovery and communal harmony. For residents of Manipur, the issue is no longer only the violence that erupted in 2023, but the unresolved fallout that continues to shape daily life. The blast at Manipur University and the objections to holding a census before rehabilitation show that security, displacement and political trust remain deeply contested.

A blast at Manipur University and protests over a planned census have renewed focus on instability in Manipur, where displacement, ethnic tensions and insecurity continue despite official claims of normalcy

Articles tagged with "State Oppression"

BJP accused of reshaping India’s political system to retain power

Manipur University blast puts focus back on India’s festering crisis