• Research
  • Emissary
  • About
  • Experts
Carnegie Global logoCarnegie lettermark logo
DemocracyIran
  • Donate
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.

Link Copied
By Milan Vaishnav
Published on Mar 21, 2025
Program mobile hero image

Program

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.

Learn More
Read the Publication

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, federalism, and electoral behavior. He also conducts research on the Indian diaspora.

    Recent Work

  • Paper
    How Populist Middle Powers Are—and Are Not—Reshaping Global Politics
      • Christopher Chivvis

      Christopher S. Chivvis, Rohan Mukherjee, Milan Vaishnav

  • Commentary
    Carnegie’s Summer Beach Reads
      • Steve Feldstein
      • +8

      Sophia Besch, Eric Ciaramella, Steve Feldstein, …

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.

More Work from Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

  • Commentary
    Carnegie Politika
    Turkmenistan’s Ruling Duo Is Having a Family Feud. Will Their Regime Survive It?

    Ex-president Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov remains interested in politics, but his son Serdar, Turkmenistan’s current president, is becoming increasingly independent and willing to break with his father’s legacy. If their covert rivalry goes too far, both risk losing power.

      Galiya Ibragimova

  • European Union EU democracy Parliament citizens assembly
    Article
    Europe’s Tide of Citizen Assemblies: Unsung Success or Anticlimax?

    A notable degree of participative democracy has firmly arrived in Europe. But to have more far-reaching impact, democratic deliberation needs to move into a radically new phase.

      Richard Youngs

  • Crowds and businesses on the streets of Colombo, Sri Lanka
    Article
    Sri Lanka’s Economic and Geopolitical Balancing Act

    Economic recovery has brought Sri Lanka a modicum of stability, but domestic strains and great-power rivalry could test how long it lasts.

      • Avinash Paliwal

      Avinash Paliwal

  • Men take a tea break in front of a wall with election posters near a polling station in Dar es Salaam on October 25, 2015, during the Tanzanian presidential election.
    Paper
    Governance Compared: Autocracy and Democracy in Africa

    Today’s global democratic recession is partly rooted in a common perception that democracies have a delivery problem, with many citizens in both autocracies and democracies alike now believing that strongmen can achieve better governance outcomes. But a study of four countries in Africa reveals that democratic-leaning governments have demonstrated better governance performance than autocratic governments.

      • Sarah Yerkes

      Sarah Yerkes, Natalie Triche, Amr Hamzawy

  • Commentary
    Carnegie Politika
    Who Is Funding Russia’s War in the 2027 Budget?

    For every ruble allocated to social policy, health, and education in 2027, double that amount is earmarked for the army, the police, and the security services.

      Alexandra Prokopenko

Get more news and analysis from
Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
Carnegie global logo, stacked
1779 Massachusetts Avenue NWWashington, DC, 20036-2103Phone: 202 483 7600
  • Research
  • Emissary
  • About
  • Experts
  • Donate
  • Programs
  • Events
  • Blogs
  • Podcasts
  • Contact
  • Annual Reports
  • Careers
  • Privacy
  • For Media
  • Government Resources
Get more news and analysis from
Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
© 2026 Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. All rights reserved.