Recent elections in five Indian states largely confirmed a trend where politics is increasingly shaped by ethno-religious identity. This stems from the ruling party's focus on religious identity and voter roll purification.

<p>In recent years, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party’s&nbsp;focus on religious identity, together with its “purification” of voter rolls, has created a more binary—and potentially volatile—political landscape, where elections increasingly reflect ethno-religious identity. This month’s elections in five states largely confirmed this trend.</p>