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Climate Change Hardly a Burning Issue for Indian Voters

Climate change is hardly an election issue for Indian voters. Political parties, too, lag behind in integrating climate agendas into their election campaigns, unlike their European counterparts.

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Indian Voters

Climate change hardly a burning issue for Indian voters | Despite the blazing heat, India's electoral scene features only a modest and oblique reflection of issues related to climate change. | Al Jazeera English | Credits CC BY-SA 2.0 DEED

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Climate Change Hardly a Burning Issue for Indian Voters

The expectation for Indian politicians to 'be with the people' now encompasses standing with them through their lived experiences of climate change.

Unprecedented climate change disasters — prolonged heatwaves, flash floods, drought, agricultural devastation and landslides — are affecting people in India.

As 968 million Indian voters head to polling booths across the nation, the Election Commission of India (ECI) is going to great lengths to ensure that a ‘green election’ is conducted.

In the southern state of Kerala, for instance, the commission collaborated with the local self government department to ensure plastic-free polling, with election officials serving tea in steel mugs instead of the standard paper cups with a thin plastic coating.

However, this attention to detail isn’t matched by political parties contesting the election. Or by Indian voters, who don’t seem to care about climate change.

The CSDS-Lokniti 2024 pre-poll survey indicates that Indian voters are primarily concerned with unemployment and inflation.

A detailed review of the election manifestos revealed that, except for the regional party Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), none of the major political parties in India have concrete grassroots-level plans to mitigate the impact of climate change.

India's electoral scene features only a modest and oblique reflection of issues related to climate change.

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