Modi loses ground in parliament, but his Hindu nationalist policies are here to stay

NEW DELHI (AP) — For the first time since Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party swept to power in 2014, the party did not secure a majority on its own in 2024 national election. But the prime minister’s coalition is still expected to run the country for another five years.

Modi’s allies generally support pro-Hindu legislation, but making new policies could be complicated by coalition politics and a slimmer majority.

Over 50 countries go to the polls in 2024

• The year will test even the most robust democracies. Read more on what’s to come here.
• Take a look at the 25 places where a change in leadership could resonate around the world.
• Keep track of the latest AP elections coverage from around the world here.

Despite a setback, many of the Hindu nationalist policies he’s instituted over the last 10 years remain locked in place:

Here is a look at some of these:

KASHMIR’S LOST SPECIAL STATUS

Soon after winning a second term in 2019, the Modi government stripped the special status of the disputed region of Jammu and Kashmir. Since 1954, the Muslim-majority region had been semi-autonomous, with a separate constitution and inherited protections on land and jobs.

The region is now run by unelected government officials and has lost its flag, criminal code and constitution.

The move divided the region into two federal territories, Ladakh and Jammu-Kashmir, both ruled directly by the central government. It was the first time in the history of India that a was downgraded from statehood to a federally administered territory.

That decision now seems to be irreversible, with India’s top court in December upholding the move, ruling that the region’s special status had been a “temporary provision.”

The Supreme Court said the