900 million people are currently participating in a massive festival of electoral democracy in India. Over 6 weeks, Indian citizens are going to the ballot to elect 545 MP’s to govern them for five years. 2014 saw Prime Minister Narendra Modi ride a massive wave of anti-incumbency to enter the highest office with a thumping majority. Five years hence, the man and his mania may have waned a little but he remains the favourite to win the elections.

The five years of Modi rule has raised profound questions on the idea of India. His government has witnessed the rise of whatsapp lynchings, Hindutva terror, environmental destruction, devastating fiscal and monetary policies and a near absolute control of popular media.

So how does Modi continue to remain popular? How do we, here in the UK, view these elections? What do the outcomes mean for democratic space and dissent? How social media is shaping the Indian elections?

To discuss these complex questions and engage in a lively debate, we have Salil Tripathi joining us. Based in London, he is a contributing editor at Mint and Caravan in India, two respected media outlets. He is currently Chair, PEN International's Writers in Prison Committee and an outspoken individual on twitter @saliltripathi. He is also a senior adviser at the Institute for Human Rights and Business.

Event format

- A quick primer on Indian elections for 7-10 minutes
- Salil Tripathi offering his views for 25 minutes
- QnA from the chair for 10 minutes
- QnA from the audience for 45 minutes

Come join us for this free event. Please arrive from 6 PM for a 6:30 start. We will wrap up by 8:30 pm.

This event is not being put together by any organisation. We are just individuals interested in Indian politics, culture and society.

ABOUT NEWSPEAK HOUSE - Newspeak House is the London College of Political Technologists, founded in 2015 to catalyse and nurture emerging communities of practice in these fields.