India’s election process troubled, and outcome has implications for U.S.

India’s marathon national elections held every five years are coming to a close, with the last section voting on Saturday. The voting was done in seven phases, a week apart. Of the close to 970 million eligible, 65.9%, have voted.

Observers have pointed out that this election is like no other in the past for two main reasons. One is a systemic attempt by the ruling party to sabotage the electoral process. The other is for Prime Minister Narendra Modi to run the election entirely on the Muslim hate platform.

The ruling Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) used every means to ensure it victory. The media were intimidated and coerced through ad money into supporting the BJP. Recently Modi claimed that he is not a “biological” person but has been ordained by God to do his work. I suspect if enough sycophants feed your narcissism, one could get a God complex.

More seriously, the BJP used its influence on the Internal Revenue Service to freeze the accounts of the main opposition party, the Congress. This curtailed the ability of its leaders to travel, to organize and to run TV ads. Then there was the electoral bond scandal where government agencies like CBI (India’s FBI) and Enforcement Directorate (which fights economic crimes) would start investigating companies and individuals for corruption and outright illegal activities. Soon thereafter those that were targeted would pay millions of dollars into a scheme started by the BJP called the electoral bond funds, and the cases against these entities would be promptly dismissed. The BJP kept the scheme secret for a few years till the Supreme Court intervened. This quid pro quo scheme is one of the most egregious scandals in India’s history.

Even more alarming is the way the Election Commission has behaved. In all the previous elections, the commission has done an admirable job and has been independent. The BJP installed its own man as the election commissioner. There is bias and a lack of transparency in which the commission has functioned. There is delay in releasing the voting data and discrepancy in the numbers of votes cast. No one, including two of the previous commissioners, has any idea of how this could be.

In his previous campaigns, Modi ran on the platform of progress for all, economy and job growth. He has abandoned it all, because although the Indian economy has grown and is now the fifth largest in the world, unemployment is at its highest and prices of common goods are painfully high. Many of the unemployed are bachelor’s and master’s degree holders. Modi has not talked about these issues because his party has done nothing to solve the problem in 10 years of its rule and has no plans to address it.

There is a clear impression that under Modi’s rule, the rich have become richer and the poor poorer. Two of the businessmen closest to him, Gautam Adani and Mukesh Ambani, are cited as examples of favoritism. The massive pre-engagement party of Ambani’s youngest son, where Rihanna performed for 6 million dollars plus, left the ordinary Indian in shock. The average annual income in India is $2750.

Immediately after the first two rounds of polling were completed and there were signs that his political party may not be doing as well as predicted, Modi changed his rhetoric and started targeting Muslims. Demagogues when in trouble race to the bottom. For Modi the 200 million plus Muslims in India are an easy target. BJP has not put up any Muslim candidates and does not expect to get any of the Muslim vote.

Modi has resorted to full-throated Muslim hatred, appealing to his Hindutva nationalist followers. Hindutva, not to be confused with Hinduism, claims India is for Hindus only. Modi has called Muslims infiltrators who free loaders and procreating at a higher rate.

He has accused that the Congress, to appease the Muslims, will take assets including Mangla Sutra, a sacred necklace worn by Hindu women as a symbol of being married, from Hindus and give them to Muslims. Add to this the canard of “Love Jihad,” where Muslim young men, it is alleged, seduce naïve Hindu girls and force them to change their faith. These lies are placing the Indian Muslim and other minorities, particularly Christians at risk. No minority is safe.

There are signs that this strategy may not be working for the Hindu voter who is interested in jobs and food and gas prices rather than Muslim bashing. If the BJP does not win an outright majority or is able to form only a weak coalition government, India’s democracy and minorities would be safe.

That would be good for the United States. Election reversals have happened in the past, but Modi’s BJP is a cheetah of different spots.

• Javeed Akhter is a physician and free-lance writer from Oak Brook.