Political Landscape in India in 2025
By our team of in-house writers.
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First publised on 2025-12-18 07:24:36
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By our team of in-house writers.
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The year 2025 tested India's democratic and governing institutions more severely than any year since the pandemic. A deadly terror attack triggered cross-border military action. Prolonged ethnic violence toppled an elected state government. Parliament witnessed one of its most contentious legislative battles in years over religious endowments. At the same time, decisive electoral victories revived the ruling party's political confidence after the shock of the 2024 general election.
From Pahalgam to Manipur, from Waqf reform to electoral resurgence, 2025 was a year when politics seeped into every sphere of national life - revealing both the state's capacity to act and its disturbing limitations.
Pahalgam and Operation Sindoor: National Security Reasserted
On April 22, terrorists killed 26 civilians near Pahalgam in Jammu and Kashmir, one of the deadliest attacks on civilians in the Valley in over a decade. The assault in Baisaran Valley appeared deliberately communal in intent, targeting Hindu tourists, though a Christian visitor and a local Muslim operator were also among the victims. The symbolism was unmistakable: tourism, normalcy, and coexistence were the targets.
India's response was swift and unprecedented in scale. On May 7, the armed forces launched Operation Sindoor, striking nine terror camps across Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir. Pakistan responded with drone and missile attacks, leading to four days of high-intensity military engagement. A ceasefire was announced on May 10 following direct communication between the Directors General of Military Operations, amid sustained diplomatic engagement by global actors, including the United States.
Domestically, the operation restored a sense of deterrence that the government has consistently foregrounded since 2016. On July 29, Home Minister Amit Shah told Parliament that the three Pahalgam attackers had been eliminated and that over 125 terrorists had been neutralised during the operation. The BJP contrasted this muscular response with what it described as the strategic restraint of earlier governments, reinforcing its long-standing national security narrative ahead of crucial state elections.
Manipur: Prolonged Violence and Governance Failure
If Pahalgam showcased state capacity, Manipur exposed its fragility.
The ethnic conflict between Meitei and Kuki-Zo communities, ongoing since May 2023, worsened through early 2025. The crisis reached a political breaking point in February when audio recordings surfaced in which Chief Minister N. Biren Singh allegedly admitted to instigating aspects of the violence. Forensic analysis reportedly indicated a high probability of the voice being Singh's, intensifying political pressure.
With over 250 lives lost and more than 60,000 people displaced, Singh resigned on February 9 ahead of a no-confidence motion. President's Rule was imposed on February 13 - the eleventh time the provision has been used in Manipur since 1951. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi called the move a belated acknowledgment of failure and demanded Prime Minister Narendra Modi's personal intervention.
In July, Parliament approved a six-month extension of central rule. As 2025 ended, Manipur remained under President's Rule, with reconciliation elusive and rehabilitation incomplete. The episode dented the BJP's claim of administrative competence and highlighted the limits of centralized political management in ethnically fractured border states.
The Waqf Amendment Controversy: Law, Religion, and the State
No legislative initiative in 2025 generated more sustained heat than the Waqf (Amendment) Act.
The law proposed over 40 changes, including the induction of non-Muslims on Waqf Boards, removal of the "waqf by user" doctrine, and the creation of a centralised digital registry. The government justified the reforms by citing large-scale mismanagement. Amit Shah told Parliament that waqf land holdings had expanded from 18 lakh acres in 2013 to nearly 39 lakh acres by 2025, with properties allegedly worth over Rs 2 lakh crore leased at nominal rates.
Muslim organisations and opposition parties accused the government of undermining minority autonomy and altering the constitutional balance under the guise of reform. Protests erupted across multiple states. Over 65 petitions challenged the law in the Supreme Court.
After prolonged Joint Parliamentary Committee scrutiny, the bill was passed in early April and received Presidential assent on April 5. Violence followed. In West Bengal's Murshidabad district, clashes led to three deaths and the deployment of central forces.
Crucially, the Supreme Court extracted assurances from the government that no waqf properties would be denotified and no new Board appointments made until judicial review was complete. Several provisions were subsequently kept in abeyance.
Beyond the immediate controversy, the dispute raised a deeper constitutional question: how far can the state go in restructuring religious institutions without eroding minority protections? That question will likely shape legal and political debates well into 2026.
Electoral Politics: BJP's Political Recovery
After losing its absolute majority in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP used 2025 to reassert its electoral dominance.
In February, the party won 48 of 70 seats in the Delhi Assembly, returning to power in the capital after 27 years. The Aam Aadmi Party was reduced to 22 seats, while Congress failed to open its account for the third consecutive election. Rekha Gupta was sworn in as Chief Minister on February 20.
The momentum carried into November, when the BJP-led NDA secured a decisive two-thirds majority in Bihar. In his victory speech, Modi declared that "katta sarkar" would never return and extended the campaign rhetoric to West Bengal, signalling early positioning for the 2026 assembly elections.
The BJP's victories in Delhi MCD by-polls and other local contests further boosted cadre morale, restoring confidence after the shock of 2024 and reaffirming the party's formidable organisational machinery.
An Unexpected Vice-Presidential Exit
In July, Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar resigned citing health reasons, becoming the third Vice President to step down before completing a full term. As Chairman of the Rajya Sabha, Dhankhar's combative style had frequently put him at odds with the Opposition, culminating in the first no-confidence motion against a Vice President.
C.P. Radhakrishnan was elected his successor in September, with the NDA's numerical strength ensuring a smooth transition. While the resignation did not trigger institutional instability, it underscored growing friction between the executive, legislature, and Opposition within Parliament.
RSS at 100, Census Politics, and Other Fault Lines
The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh marked its centenary on October 1, with Prime Minister Modi attending major celebrations. The event underlined the ideological and organisational symbiosis between the RSS and the BJP, with grassroots mobilisation credited for the party's electoral revival.
In June, the government notified a digital census with caste enumeration, to be conducted from March 2027. The exercise is expected to redraw parliamentary constituencies ahead of the 2029 elections, potentially reshaping India's political map and reviving debates over representation and federal equity.
Ladakh witnessed sustained protests over environmental and political demands. Climate activist Sonam Wangchuk's arrest under the National Security Act in September, coupled with the cancellation of his organisation's FCRA licence, sparked national concern over dissent and federal sensitivity in strategically important regions.
The Opposition: Fragmented and Reactive
Despite its relative success in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the INDIA alliance struggled to convert parliamentary momentum into electoral coherence. The Delhi and Bihar results exposed deep structural weaknesses - Congress remained organisationally frail, while regional parties failed to articulate a shared national alternative.
Rahul Gandhi's parliamentary interventions kept the Opposition visible, but the absence of a unified leadership narrative continued to benefit the BJP. The alliance appeared reactive rather than agenda-setting, a liability as the ruling party regained confidence.
Looking Ahead
As 2025 draws to a close, the BJP has largely recovered the political ground it lost in the general elections, reaffirming its dominance through organisation, narrative control, and electoral discipline. Yet unresolved crises remain. Manipur continues under central rule. Judicial scrutiny of contentious legislation could reopen political battles. The 2026 state elections will test the BJP's ability to expand beyond its core strongholds. Comptroller and Auditor General of India Sanjay Murthy has warned that thousands of crores are being transferred through direct benefit transfer accounts without adequate verification or audit safeguards. At a time when political parties are competing to outdo one another with welfare handouts, the warning underscores an urgent need to strengthen checks to prevent leakage and misuse of public funds.
The year revealed the dual nature of India's democracy: capable of decisive action, yet vulnerable to prolonged institutional strain. Whether 2025 marks the consolidation of BJP hegemony or merely a pause before renewed contestation will become clearer as India moves toward the 2029 general election. The answer will shape not just who governs the country, but the character of the republic itself.
