India’s democracy is decaying under dynastic politics where surnames replace merit and families rule like modern monarchs.
From the Gandhis to the Yadavs, from Pawars to Thackerays, India’s democracy is quietly being replaced by a republic of families, not citizens.
India’s democracy is facing a slow, deliberate suffocation, not by authoritarian decrees, but by the rise of dynastic politics disguised as social representation.
What began as a democratic dream to empower the underrepresented has morphed into a vicious cycle of nepotism, entitlement, and political inheritance.
Across every major party, the new rule of Indian politics is simple: power must stay within the family.
Legacy is what a leader leaves behind for the nation.
Let’s not romanticize this with phrases like “political legacy”.
What was once a republic of citizens is degenerating into a republic of surnames.
Author summary: India's democracy decays under dynastic politics.