At its loftiest, democracy is a haven of free speech, pluralism, and electoral accountability. At the bare minimum, a democracy is a government voted in by the people. India, with a press freedom ranking of 157 out of 180 countries in 2026, fails on the first count. This was also a year that saw State Assembly election results that shook several long-standing patterns–along with the deletion of 1.5 crore names from the existing voter list. On the second count, India looks shaky at the least.
For India’s 80th Independence Day, this package collects Frontline’s stories from the past year that touch on the expected cornerstones of democracy–press freedom, multiculturalism, elections–and examines their quality and position in Indian society.