BJP’s Ideological Hegemony: Combining Religious Conservatism and Nationalism

Abstract

This article explores popular support for two key dimensions of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s recent ideological dominance in Indian politics. We examine public opinion on assertive nationalism and religious conservatism. The article analyses data from an individual-level survey conducted among voters across 12 states across the country in 2018. We find that public opinion is largely sympathetic towards the ideological positions held by the right on these dimensions. Moreover, ideological resonance transcends various socio-economic cleavages, and there is high support even among non-core segments of the BJP’s social coalition. We also find suggestive evidence for the role of nationalism in expanding the BJP’s support base.