VOTING FOR THE OPPRESSOR: INDIA'S MUSLIMS AND THE BJP

Abstract

The rise of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in India coupled with the election of Narendra Modi as the country’s Prime Minister in 2014 was accompanied with increasing reports about the discrimination and oppression of Indian Muslims. However, voting patterns, especially those who voted for the BJP, show that some Muslims have chosen to vote for the BJP. Given this phenomenon, the Research Question that this thesis aims to answer is this: Why do Indian Muslims choose to vote for the BJP in spite of the party’s discriminatory political rhetoric and policies? This thesis will rely on data gathered from election surveys and studies as well as research done by Indian think tanks to answer this puzzle. Along with that, given social media’s current importance in India’s political scene, this thesis will also analyse social media posts and videos in the process of answering the research question.