The political (un)making of Indian secularism: Majoritarianism and the decline of counter-hegemonic politics

Indian secularism has historically differed from Western models through its emphasis on religious plurality, selective state engagement, and the constitutional protection of minority rights. In recent decades, however, this framework has come under growing strain from majoritarian politics, executive centralisation, and the politicisation of religion. This study analyses Indian secularism as a constitutional and institutional regime shaped through legal interpretation, state practice, and political contestation. Drawing on constitutional theory and political sociology, it argues that the Indian model is increasingly being transformed from a principle of plural democratic governance into a politically mediated framework of legitimacy. The analysis further contends that this shift is linked not only to the rise of majoritarian nationalism but also to the decline of counter-hegemonic political forces, particularly the Left, which historically embedded secularism within broader projects of social justice. By foregrounding institutional practice over legal idealism, the article reframes the crisis of the secular state as a problem of democratic power, ideological contestation, and institutional reconfiguration rather than constitutional absence alone.