India's Elections

In this episode of The Round Room we dive into India's recent elections. India’s caste system, rooted in a 3,000-year-old social hierarchy, continues to shape every facet of life for millions, despite being officially outlawed. Dalits, or "Untouchables," face systemic oppression, disenfranchisement, and violence, compounded by government policies that suppress their votes and limit their opportunities. Recent elections reflect growing dissatisfaction with the ruling BJP, as opposition coalitions rise, signaling potential change but leaving deep-rooted caste inequities and voter suppression unresolved. We would love to thank our writers who put together the script for this episode: Henry Jones, Melanie Pozo, Styx Hatch, and Audrey Collison. We'd also love to thank our team of script and research editors: Iselin Bratz, Adam Nuñez, and Claudia Mains. And, of course, we'd love to thank our sound editors Axelle Yanakakis-Caroll, Colten Gottlob, Sandro Mercado, and Nik Vyshinskiy To keep up with podcast updates, please follow @theroundroompod on Instagram. https://www.hrw.org/reports/2001/globalcaste/caste0801-03.htm#:~:text=A%20defining%20feature%20of%20Hinduism,among%20regions%20and%20over%20time. https://www.worldhistory.org/article/1152/caste-system-in-ancient-india/ https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2021/06/29/attitudes-about-caste/ https://edition.cnn.com/asia/live-news/india-general-election-results-06-04-24-intl-hnk/index.html https://carnegieendowment.org/features/india-elects-2024 https://www.npr.org/2019/05/03/706808616/the-powerful-group-shaping-the-rise-of-hindu-nationalism-in-india https://apnews.com/article/india-election-results-2024-lok-sabha-modi-bjp-7893efecc83fa8225a611f174e6420ee https://carnegieendowment.org/features/india-elects-2024