The Votes are in, and Narendra Modi has won a third term as Prime Minister of India. However, in a surprising upset, his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) failed to win a majority, much less the supermajority Modi had predicted.

People are still trying to figure out why the upset, but reasons include: while India's economy has grown over the last 10 years, so has social inequality and unemployment, the opposition Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance, which looked painfully fractured earlier this year, pulled itself together,, dissatisfaction among younger voters, concerns over freedom of the press, religious freedoms, and human rights in general. An explainer on the logistics of an election for just shy of a billion potential voters. Podcast: Looking for Modi -- An overview of Modi's career from an Australian journalit whose visa renewal was denield by the Modie government. (5 episodes) (via user d-no in a previous thread) Podcast: Modi's India -- asegment of the larger CBC podcast Understood, this CBC production digs deeper into the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada. (4 episodes) If you are a The Economist subscriber, they have a podcast, too. Podcast: Behind the Bastards did 2 episodes on Modi Part 1 Part 2 Previously -- Amit Shah, Modi's right hand man Previously -- Assassination of Hardeep Singh Nijjar Previously -- Modi in 2021 Previously -- Election 2019 There are quite a few more, if you search for them

Farmers have repeatedly protested over grievances tied to global warming, a major political and economic test given the importance of India’s rural economy.

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Ahead of the election in India, the Guardian’s video team travelled through the country to explore how fake news and censorship might shape the outcome.

Almost one billion people are registered to vote. The country's prime minister, Narendra Modi, has been in power for more than 10 years, and his Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata party (BJP) is seeking a third term.

But critics of Modi and the BJP say his government has become increasingly authoritarian, fracturing the country along religious lines and threatening India’s secular democracy. At the same time, the space for freedom of speech has been shrinking while disinformation and hate speech has exploded on social media.

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© Photograph: the Guardian

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© Photograph: the Guardian

Mr. Musk has built a constellation of like-minded heads of state — including Argentina’s Javier Milei and India’s Narendra Modi — to push his own politics and expand his business empire.

© Cristiana Couceiro