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V-Dem Report: India Electoral Democracy Index at 1975 low

3 September 20261 min read
REPORTS & INDEXESV-Dem Report:India ElectoralDemocracy Indexat 1975 low3 September 2026safalsetu.com

Why in the news

The latest V-Dem Democracy Report rated India’s electoral democracy score at its lowest point in five decades, since 1975.

Key facts

  • Slow autocratisation: institutions erode step by step, unlike a coup.
  • Sharpest falls: courts’ accountability, graft control, independence of the election body and neutral administration.
  • Media: weaker free expression and more harassment of journalists.
  • Academic freedom: lower freedom in research, teaching and campus autonomy.

About the index

V-Dem measures democracy on many dimensions, not merely whether elections are held: election integrity, civil liberties, autonomy of institutions, judicial accountability, free speech and public administration. It lets analysts compare countries and track democratisation or autocratisation.

Exam angle

  • Electoral Democracy Index rests on Robert Dahl’s polyarchy idea.
  • 1975 marks the Emergency, which ran from 25 June 1975 until 21 March 1977 under Article 352.
  • Other indices: Freedom House (Freedom in the World) and the EIU Democracy Index (full democracy, flawed democracy, hybrid regime, authoritarian).

Test yourself

1. Which institute publishes the Democracy Report in which India's Electoral Democracy Index hit a 1975 low?

V-Dem is based at the University of Gothenburg.

2. Where is the V-Dem Institute located?

The notes place V-Dem at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden.

3. V-Dem's Electoral Democracy Index draws on whose polyarchy concept?

The index follows Robert Dahl's polyarchy idea.

This topic is part of Daily Current Affairs 2 September 2026 (18 topics).

All topics of the dayDay quizSeptember 2026

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