What is going on in India currently is eerily similar.
Last month, in a set of crucial state elections, the BJP was able to win the election in the state of West Bengal for the first time.
It dislodged the government of a regional party – the Trinamool Congress – that has presented a strong opposition to the BJP for the last decade by also sending a high number of legislators to both Houses of Parliament.
There are several questions around the fairness and integrity of the elections, as they took place against the backdrop of a large-scale electoral roll revision exercise that caused massive disenfranchisement.
Negligible legal opportunities were provided to the individuals whose names were deleted from the rolls, while the Supreme Court virtually legitimised this exercise by noting that those whose names had been deleted could vote in the next election once they defend their rights in a tribunal.
After the election, several reports have emerged that question the integrity of the electoral voting machines, raising tough questions about the health of electoral democracy in India.
