Elections in the world’s largest democracy have finally concluded after several weeks long polling. Voter turnout stood at 67.11%, which was declared the highest in India’s electoral history. However, with 349 seats, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) once again clinched the greatest number of seats. Whereas, the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance(UPA)secured 91 seats, a minor improvement when compared to the previous elections. The bigger question remains why choose Narendra Modi again? Is it owing to his handling of the economy or foreign policy? Absolutely not! The Indian economy has evidently slowed down over the years while a hegemonic foreign policy proved somewhat costly for the Bharatya Janata Party (BJP) in recent times especially in the context of dealing with China and Pakistan. The single key factor for an unending Modi wave across the country includes the exponential rise in fascist tendencies complemented by histrionic propaganda. Several BJP leaders and candidates such as BJP President Amit Shah, Uttar Pradesh’s Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Sadhvi Pragya, Sakshi Maharaj and former cricketer Gautam Gambhir cashed on communal hatred and anti-Pakistan sentiments. Social media was widely used to promote specific parties, fuel hatred and promote bigotry among the Indian masses through paid tweets and Facebook posts. For this, a number of celebrities and consultants were paid in hefty amounts. Anyone who states that the BJP won through meritocracy has a weak grip on Indian electoral politics. This was clearly witnessed in an op-ed recently published in a leading international newspaper where the writer whitewashed Modi’s fascist agenda. Corruption and financial woes were the least of concern since the entire campaign trail relied on melodramatic disinformation. Most journalists were forced to toe the official line while newsrooms were given instructions to spread mass propaganda, notably during the brief Indo-Pak standoff in February 2019. Interestingly, this method backfired for the Indian government which had no concrete explanations to provide for its follies. The next five years would be crucial for India. Would it continue towards the path of fascism or return to its secular roots? Modi’s popularity may have surged but so did Adolf Hitler’s during the reign of the Third Reich. Nehruvian and Gandhian philosophies are long forgotten while the ideology of Hindutva has finally prevailed. The BJP must ponder upon its destructive policies and take lessons from history. Equally importantly, it cannot continue to shred apart communal harmony while claiming to be a ‘beacon of hope’ for the gullible masses. *