What the BJP should learn from Trump’s redistricting failure

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has lessons to draw from the Republican Party's failed redistricting efforts in the United States, as it plans a hurried and partisan redrawing of India’s electoral map by delaying the 2021 Census until 2026. The Republicans under President Donald J. Trump attempted to redraw Congressional district boundaries across eight states to flip seats from Democrats but ultimately lost most of them, including some they aimed to retain in Texas and Florida. Gerrymandering, which involves packing or cracking particular social groups within electoral districts, assumes that voting preferences remain constant between election cycles. However, when traditional supporters turn against a party, these tactics are ineffective; this was demonstrated by the BJP's loss in the Bankipur by-election in Bihar in August, where despite demographic advantages, upper-caste voters switched their support and led to a BJP defeat.