Why Do Women Support Indian PM NARENDRA MODI?

In the leadup to the 75th anniversary of Indian independence, a variety of articles appeared in the US press writing the epitaph for its democracy. The future of India’s democracy “looks increasingly bleak,” according to the Associated Press, and we learn in The Washington Post that India’s democracy “dies in prime time.” These articles attributed many of India’s woes to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Yet few of these articles asked why Modi and his party continue to win elections. One answer might be his success in attracting female voters.

Few in the US or the UK realize that Modi’s party has been increasingly successful with women voters. This year key Indian states went to the polls. The BJP did better among women than among men. In India’s most populous state of Uttar Pradesh (UP), 48% of women voted for the BJP in comparison to 44% of the men. Despite the BJP’s UP success, the BBC dryly asked “Are women really thriving in UP as PM Modi claims?” The article concludes with the quote “Women here have very little freedom. They are told who to vote for and they often vote along with the rest of the family.”

DATA SHOWS WOMEN EXERCISE CHOICE
The BJP is facing a common refrain: India is a misogynistic country that disempowers women, and women vote dutifully for the BJP because they are instructed to do so by their men. If that is true, how do we explain women voting for the BJP in greater numbers than men?

In 2020, Modi broke a longstanding taboo by addressing the issue of menstrual health in his August 15 Independence Day speech. He declared “Through 6,000 Jan Aushadhi centers, about 50 million women have got sanitary pads at [Rupee] 1 . We have worked for women’s empowerment. Navy and Air Force are taking women in combat roles…women are now leaders.” Note that one rupee is a little over one cent. This means that women can get sanitary napkins at the cheapest rate in the world.

Modi’s claim of putting women in positions of power is no empty boast. In Gujarat, he was succeeded as chief minister by Anandiben Patel, who is now the governor of UP. This year, Modi’s BJP has elected Draupadi Murmu as president. She is the second woman to hold that office. More importantly, she is the first woman who comes from India’s longoppressed scheduled tribes to become president.

Modi’s outreach to women is part of a longstanding BJP tradition. From the very beginning, the party created Mahila Morcha, its extremely active women’s wing. It had strong female leaders such as Vijaya Raje Scindia and Sushma Swaraj, both of whom died after decades of public service. With Murmu as the head of state, the BJP is sending the signal to women from underprivileged backgrounds that they too can rise to the top.

WELL-IMPLEMENTED SCHEMES PROVE POPULAR WITH WOMEN
Newly independent India’s socialist state proved adept at highfalutin rhetoric but poor at the delivery of public services. Since Modi came to power in 2014, these fundamental services have been prioritized with effective outcomes. Some schemes are noteworthy to understand what is going on.

The narrative of a fashionable, barrel-chested Modi may have an element of allure. It may even appeal to some voters. However, this narrative is woefully incomplete. Under Modi, the polls give a sense that the BJP has successfully delivered on issues that matter to women.

Cannily, Modi is cultivating his female voter base. Earlier this year, the prime minister declared: “Women…have blessed us – we have won splendidly in areas where women voters have dominated.” He went on to say, “It is our good fortune that BJP has got so much love, so many blessings from mothers-sisters-daughters.” The narrative of a fashionable, barrelchested Modi may have an element of allure. It may even appeal to some voters. However, this narrative is woefully incomplete. Under Modi, the polls give a sense that the BJP has successfully delivered on issues that matter to women.

Cannily, Modi is cultivating his female voter base. Earlier this year, the prime minister declared: “Women…have blessed us – we have won splendidly in areas where women voters have dominated.” He went on to say, “It is our good fortune that BJP has got so much love, so many blessings from mothers-sisters-daughters.” Women seem to have blessed the BJP, and a fair review of the data might reveal this fortune is no mere accident, nor the result of “toxic men” telling women how to vote, but because the Modi government has been successful in improving the domestic lives of women.

SOURCE: FAIR OBSERVER

CHRISTOPHER ROPER SCHELL The writer is a contributing editor at Fair Observer. He is currently a book editor and policy advisor