Indian politics is becoming increasingly partisan. We have the data to prove it.

The political divide in Indian society is getting sharper by the day, and we have the data to show it. Nearly 44% of the 12,544 urban Indians interviewed in our most recent survey displayed signs of intense attachment to one or the other political party. The share of such people, who we label as ‘strong partisans’, has increased steadily since 2021, when it was 37%. Such individuals are more likely to engage in political debate online even though they face more negativity on social media, the survey found.

Five times in the past two years, the YouGov-Mint-CPR Millennial Survey has asked Indians which party they identify with—and how deeply. Do you take the party’s criticism as a personal insult and does praise make you feel good? Do you refer to the party as ‘my party’? When you meet a fellow supporter, do you feel a connection? Those who are more emphatic in saying ‘yes’ to these questions are classed as ‘strong partisans’ in our index. The rest are moderates and weak partisans, based on their responses.

As seen in past rounds, older generations are more attached to their preferred parties. The share of strong partisans was 45% among pre-millennials (those born before 1981), 47% among millennials (those born between 1981 and 1996), and 40% among post-millennials. Nearly 48% of men were strongly partisan, while women were less so (39%).

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had far more loyal supporters than other parties. As many as 59% of BJP supporters expressed strong feelings about the party, while only 48% of Congress supporters felt the same about that party. The first part of this series showed that the BJP now commands the support of almost half of the respondents. We now see that this support is firm—and personal.