Narendra Modi's 2019 mantra: Vote for secure din

Modi isn't going to voters on his track record but on the fear of the terrorist across the border and the Muslims within. It's a battle on his terms

The most obvious question an incumbent seeking re-election should be asking his voters is: Are you better off than you were when you voted me to power? For Narendra Modi it could rather be: Do you feel more secure than when you voted me to power?

If the answer is “yes”, you can’t expect to ride to a second term on an upsurge of insecurity. If it is “no”, why should the same people re-elect you? In the Modi world, however, a third possibility can be created. Are you feeling less insecure than you did, probably, in the week of