Decoding 2019

All Indian elections are uncertain, but this one is more uncertain than most

It is hard to have a conversation these days without the subject turning eventually to “what will happen in 2019”. This will not be, naturally, a discussion about any of the other events that might take place in this new year; it is, always and everywhere, a question about the general elections. And, in fact, it is usually a question about a single number: how many seats will the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) win?

Of course, the only correct answer to that question is: “Nobody has the slightest idea”. But, for some reason, people seem to be extremely dissatisfied with