In pivotal India elections, a once-radical ideology could propel Modi to a third term

Ramesh Singh had been waiting for this day for five years. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has made it a tradition to kick off general election campaigns in Mr. Singh’s city, and this year was no different. So the sugarcane farmer joined the adoring throngs, who are all but guaranteed to deliver Mr. Modi a resounding third-term victory in elections that begin Friday. 

“Modi is not just a leader for us; he is like our god. He is the savior of Hindus,” says Mr. Singh, who was at the front of the crowd, waving the flag of Mr. Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), during the campaign rally last month. “I will make sure everyone in my family and relatives votes for Modi’s party.” 

As the world’s largest election gets underway, Mr. Modi’s brand of nationalist politics is on full display, signaling even more division ahead for India’s diverse population. The prime minister reached near deity status among his supporters in large part by leveraging Hindutva, a once-fringe political ideology that equates “Indianness” with “Hinduness.” It thrives on the belief – credible or not – that Hindu culture is under threat, and aims to establish Hindu hegemony. Policies implemented over the past decade have resulted in the persecution of India’s large Muslim minority, and pushed the country, founded on democratic and secular values, on the path to becoming a Hindu nation.