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Legislative Capture in India: Is Democracy Back from the Brink?
Research

Legislative Capture in India: Is Democracy Back from the Brink?

The roots of India’s democratic backsliding predate the BJP’s resurgence, but the trends have intensified in the past 10 years. While the party’s disappointing performance in the 2024 elections suggests a possible corrective, legislative capture in India will not easily unravel.

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By Milan Vaishnav
Published on Mar 21, 2025
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South Asia

The South Asia Program informs policy debates relating to the region’s security, economy, and political development. From strategic competition in the Indo-Pacific to India’s internal dynamics and U.S. engagement with the region, the program offers in-depth, rigorous research and analysis on South Asia’s most critical challenges.

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About the Author

Milan Vaishnav

Director and Senior Fellow, South Asia Program

Milan Vaishnav is a senior fellow and director of the South Asia Program and the host of the Grand Tamasha podcast at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. His primary research focus is the political economy of India, and he examines issues such as corruption and governance, state capacity, distributive politics, and electoral behavior. He also conducts research on the Indian diaspora.

    Recent Work

  • Paper
    Delimitation After Defeat: India’s Unfinished Debate Over Representation
      • Louise Tillin
      • Andy Robaina

      Louise Tillin, Milan Vaishnav, Andy Robaina

  • Research
    India and a Changing Global Order: Foreign Policy in the Trump 2.0 Era
      • Sameer Lalwani
      • +6

      Milan Vaishnav, Sameer Lalwani, Tanvi Madan, …

Milan Vaishnav
Director and Senior Fellow, South Asia Program
Milan Vaishnav
IndiaSouth AsiaDemocracyPolitical ReformDomestic Politics

Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.

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