Foreign Policy Issues in the BJP 2024 Election Campaign: Boosting National Pride and Glorifying a Strong Government

While election campaigns in India traditionally focus on domestic issues above all, the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) campaign for the 2024 general elections placed a strong emphasis on foreign policy. It emphasized how, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India has strengthened its diplomatic role and achieved international economic success. Throughout the campaign, hoping to galvanize national pride, the BJP hammered home the point that, thanks to Modi, India had become the world’s fifth-largest economy, developed its industry and made significant progress in certain export sectors. The BJP campaign also emphasized India’s new diplomatic and strategic assertiveness, presenting Modi as an exceptional leader, capable both of protecting the country from external threats and of making his voice heard on the international stage like no other before him. Indeed, the BJP highlighted much of Modi’s international commitments, including his participation in forums such as the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (QUAD), BRICS, G20 and Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), portraying him as a grand, global statesman and the sole embodiment of India’s rising status. Additionally, the BJP took up the concept of “Vishwa Bandhu” (friend of the world) to present India as a peacemaker, a provider of humanitarian aid and a designer of solutions for the world, thanks to its unique cultural heritage. In short, the BJP sought to consolidate the image of Modi as the only leader capable of ensuring India’s continued rise on the world stage, appealing in the process to voters’ sense of national pride and their aspirations for international recognition for their country.