Guest Talk by Pratap Bhanu Mehta on 19.06.2026 Discussion on the State of India's Democracy

An informal round-table discussion on the state of India’s democracy took place on the 19th of June, 2026 at the South Asia Institute, Heidelberg University, organised by the Department of Political Science. The discussion was helmed by Professor Pratap Bhanu Mehta as the guest speaker while Professor Rahul Mukherji, Chair Professor in Modern Politics of South Asia, moderated the event, joined by a selective group of students and scholars.

Describing the current moment in India’s democratic polity as unprecedented, Professor Mehta threw light on how India’s society, economy, politics, and institutions were under strain, as no past government had been so much ruthless. Since losing power would entail serious ramifications, the incumbent had turned politics into an existential battle, rather than an ordinary contest. Pratap Bhanu Mehta cited the 2026 Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise of the Election Commission of India concerning the electoral rolls in Assam and West Bengal, approved by the Supreme Court of India, as a tool being deployed to manoeuver elections. He added that the pre-existing assumptions about social groups balancing each other, no longer hold, as the right-wing in India had mastered identity politics and grassroots networks backed by strong control over the information order and media, while the left and the centre struggled to keep pace.

Professor Mehta’s observations was followed by a series of questions from the students and an informal open exchange session ensued among the faculty and the participants. The deliberations were concluded by Professor Rahul Mukherji’s closing remarks.