One Year of Modi 3.0: A Report Card on Coalition Governance & the Resurgent Opposition

The Modi government has officially crossed its one-year mark in its third consecutive term, but this anniversary is unlike the last two. The political landscape of 2024 forced a fundamental shift, transforming a decade of single-party dominance into a delicate dance of coalition politics under the National Democratic Alliance (NDA).

As the dust settles on a year of negotiated governance, the question is: Has Modi 3.0 adapted to its new reality, or is it struggling against its own structure?

The Report Card: Hits & Misses of a Coalition Year

The Hits (Where the Government Scored)

1. Economic Steadiness: Despite global headwinds, the government managed to pass a pragmatic Union Budget focused on infrastructure and rural demand, avoiding any major economic shocks. Key reforms in the space and semiconductor sectors have continued to attract foreign investment.
2. Strategic Diplomacy Intact: The government has successfully maintained India’s strategic autonomy, balancing ties with both the West and Russia. The Prime Minister’s recent visit to [Insert recent country, e.g., Japan] reinforced foreign policy as a consistent strength.
3. Cohesion, Not Chaos: Against many predictions, the NDA coalition has not collapsed. The BJP has managed to keep its key allies—the TDP and JD(U)—in the fold through a combination of strategic ministerial allocations and targeted financial packages for Andhra Pradesh and Bihar.

The Misses (Where the Government Stumbled)

1. The Parliament Logjam: This has been the biggest failure. The opposition’s relentless demand for discussions on issues like [Mention a current issue, e.g., “the NEET paper leak scandal” or “Agnipath scheme”] has led to a near-washout of the last two parliamentary sessions, stalling several key legislative bills.
2. The Tempered Agenda: The BJP’s core ideological agenda has been put on ice. There has been no movement on the Uniform Civil Code (UCC), and the Hindutva narrative has been noticeably muted, leading to murmurs of discontent within the party’s hardline base.
3. The ‘Weak Government’ Narrative: The opposition has successfully painted the government as a “lame duck” administration, using every instance of policy rollback or negotiation as proof that the Modi-led BJP’s strongman era is over.

The New Power Centres: TDP & JD(U)’s Kingmaker Role

The real story of the past year is the quiet influence of Chandrababu Naidu and Nitish Kumar.

• Voice for Federalism: Their presence has forced a greater focus on state-centric issues. The central government has had to engage in unprecedented consultation with states on everything from the implementation of central schemes to tax devolution.
• The Patna-Delhi-Amaravati Axis: Major policy announcements are now routinely vetted by these allies. This has prevented the government from taking any decision that could be perceived as antagonistic to the interests of Bihar or Andhra Pradesh.