Can the Indian democracy be improved? This election seems to be pointing in that direction. Narendra Modi won a second term fair and square according to the rules of Election Commission but there is worrying picture that is emerging.
The BJP has not only managed to win big in the Lok Sabha but is looking towards having a majority in the Rajya Sabha (although a difficult task). The President of India was their party nominee and so was the Vice President. The opposition is decimated in such a way that there isn’t even a single party that has won 54 seats for it to qualify for the post of Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha.
Under these circumstances, it seems that the BJP lacks a credible opposition. In the previous term, Narendra Modi and BJP had to work with the opposition parties to pass important bills in the Rajya Sabha. However, this may change in the new term with BJP and allies gaining the simple majority in the Upper House.
The complete lack of opposition is not a good thing in a democracy because it is concentration of too much power in one political camp. Neither is there a chance for opposition to make a comeback for the next five years, unless they do well in state elections and stop BJP from gaining a majority in the Rajya Sabha.
In the US, the President has to work in tandem with the Congress and the Senate with various responsibilities divided amongst them. Donald Trump at the start of his term enjoyed the support of Republican Congress and a Senate. However, 2 years into his Presidency, both houses went to election. The Republicans managed to retain the Senate while it lost the Congress to the Democrats.
This meant Trump had to work with the opposition. The US government shutdown from December 22 to January 25 was a glaring example of this check and balance. Trump was having an issue with the Congress at the time on funds to build a wall on US-Mexico border. The Democratic Congress opposed it while Trump, a Republican President wanted it. Finally, after 35 days the shutdown was resolved when Trump relented on his demand for a border wall.
A similar thing is required in our country where no one party becomes supreme and controls major institutions of power. Not because the current BJP-led government has abused power or is suspected of doing it in the future, but because now there is a possibility of a party coming to power on its own after wining a large number of seats.
Some may argue that the President of the country can be an effective check, but the truth is that the post is mostly ceremonial and the nominee is usually from the ruling party, with a few exceptions of course. We need a mechanism to provide a check and balance when a party enjoys absolute majority, just as a safety measure.
