Narendra Modi has put himself on the throne again but with a different mandate. This time, he came with much force and appeared more vigilant, sweeping an election with more than 300 seats out of 543, and restricting the Indian National Congress to a mere 52 seats. India clearly put nationalism ahead of any other idea. Prior to the previous electoral year, 2014, Modi had lured the electorate with promises of social and economic reforms, most of which he didn’t deliver. From absence of improvement in the job sector that gave rise to the unemployment rate to the increasing grievances of farmers, Modi bagged some failures in his previous tenure. In 2019, the main ‘bait’ was Hindu nationalistic sentiments, which Modi and the members of his party exploited for winning the election. By using a hate mandate, Modi successfully maneuvered himself and his party to power. Before elections, his ‘unfortunate’ adventure with the neighbour and rival Pakistan gave him a chance to make himself a heroic figure. Modi flaunted anger and hate towards Pakistan, and that profited him with a majority in the lower house of the Indian parliament. Hate sentiments were provoked. The question hereby arises as to how Hindu nationalism can or will transform India. During Modi’s previous reign, clear social and religious divisions were drawn in India. That was enhanced in the recent elections by promoting nationalism, or more likely, Hinduism. One of the tactics that was chosen by the BJP and Modi was ‘fear’ of the ‘other’; he presented himself as the only saviour. Modi portrayed himself as the only option for Hindus to save the Hindu ideology from external threats. India’s future and that of Indian minorities seem bleak. Modi has created a narrative of hate and nationalism; he has won the elections on this mandate Modi has always been fond of shifting Indian secular discourse towards a Hindu nationalist one. His previous tenure and the plight of minorities during that time is a testimony to his aims. Now he has been elected for another five years. He has secured almost 56 per cent of the lower house, which means that he will face no hurdle in passing legislation. The nationalist media and Modi have always been close allies. This nexus was prominent in the recent elections as both social media and electronic media were vocal in blatant ‘Modi-ism’. His ideology was hammered in the minds of the common viewer, and that reflected in the election results. His election campaign was given more coverage than any other thing on television. The election soap series continued on television. Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party seems to have had a plan. Candidates that were given tickets and some of who won were extremists. Shakshi Mahraj, a newly elected member of parliament on BJP’s ticket, has more than 30 criminal cases against him. Another newly elected BJP member of parliament, Pragya Singh Thakur, called Mahatma Gandhi’s assassin “a patriot”. The selection of the new cabinet clearly indicates where Modi would be leading India. Amit Shah, president of the BJP, has been selected as India’s home minister. It is feared that the new reforms might be religion-centric rather than being focused on governance. The BJP may exhibit its Hindutva ideology in governance, further raising concerns for the minorities in India. India’s future and that of Indian minorities seem bleak. Modi has created a narrative of hate and nationalism; he has won the elections on this mandate. Now he has to defend it, and every word of hatred that came out of his mouth may be realised through his actions. It puts India in a dismal situation. It is hard to see how a large number of people has voted in favour of the hate mandate prompted by Modi. For long, India has accused its neighbour, Pakistan, of being extremist; now it seems to be on its way to becoming the same. The writer is a research associate at the Islamabad Institute of Conflict Resolution