The Ballot Box Paradox: Electoral Participation and the Erosion of Democracy in India

This article traces the trajectory of Indian democracy between 2014 and 2024, a decade that marks a significant transformation in the country’s political landscape. While the processes of democratic erosion in India have antecedents prior to 2014, this period witnessed their consolidation and institutionalization under conditions of majoritarian dominance. The article underscores the paradox of robust electoral participation alongside systematic democratic backsliding, examining the 2014, 2019, and 2024 parliamentary elections through the lenses of identity politics, populist authoritarianism, and competitive authoritarianism. It highlights how voter realignments, digital campaigning, and institutional capture have redefined democratic practice. Drawing on global indices (V-Dem, Freedom House, EIU), the study situates India’s reclassification as an ‘electoral autocracy’, where democratic procedures persist but illiberal governance and partisan control of institutions constrain opposition capacity. The analysis further identifies a shift in democratic imagination from horizontal accountability, anchored in liberal rights and institutional checks, to vertical accountability, privileging popular sovereignty and welfare delivery. At the same time, the 2024 election outcome, which curtailed single-party dominance and revived coalition politics, demonstrates the persistence of electoral competition and voter agency. The article argues that Indian democracy is not collapsing but undergoing a mutation, the future of which will depend on restoring institutional autonomy and safeguarding pluralism within a fragmented polity.