Is India sliding towards fascism? Next week the world’s biggest election is likely to give Narendra Modi a third term as India’s prime minister. Some fear he may also be its last.
India’s PM claims he has been chosen by God
Devoted: Modi's supporters, with traditional Hindu tilaka forehead markings, attend a Kolkata rally this month. Glossary
Gujarat - A state on India's western coast. It is home to 60 million people. Hindus make up nearly 90% of the population.
Hindu - A follower of Hinduism, the third-largest religion in the world. Roughly 95% of Hindus live in India.
Nationalist - A person who believes strongly that their country is better than all others.
Narendra Modi - The prime minister of India. He inspires passionate support from many in his country, but his critics regard him as populist, anti-Muslim and authoritarian.
Pious - Deeply religious, following all the codes of the religion.
Mirage - An optical effect where you see something that is not really there.
Cooked the books - A saying meaning "to alter official records in order to deceive".
Lynchings - When a mob of people kill someone without legal approval.
Paramilitary - An unofficial group organised like a military force.
Fascism - A political ideology that rose to power in 20th-Century Europe. It stressed militarism and order over personal freedom, and often divided society according to racial hierarchies.
Ginning up - Stirring up or generating some level of enthusiasm or support for something.
Democracy - A system of government based on the idea of rule by the people.
Constitution - A document that sets out the fundamental rules according to which a country is governed, which are usually difficult to change.
Indira Gandhi - India's prime minister between 1966 and 1977, and again from 1980 until she was assassinated in 1984.