DYNASTIC POLITICS IN INDIA UNDER THE MODI REGIME: DECLINE OF THE GANDHI LEGACY AND THE PERSISTENCE OF POLITICAL FAMILIES

Abstract

This paper investigates the phenomenon of dynastic politics in India, with a primary focus on the Nehru-Gandhi family’s legacy and the broader persistence of hereditary power across party lines. While Congress's decline under Rahul Gandhi is emblematic of a waning faith in dynastic rule, numerous political families continue to dominate regional and national spheres. The study incorporates developments up to 2025 under the Modi regime, revealing how Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP have positioned themselves as alternatives to political dynasties while paradoxically nurturing their own. This paper argues that dynastic politics persists in India due to deeply embedded cultural norms, weak party institutionalization, and the enduring social capital of political families, despite Modi’s rhetorical opposition to it.

Keywords

Dynastic politics, Gandhi family, Modi regime, Bharatiya Janata Party, political families, Congress, Indian democracy, electoral politics, political inheritance