India, Oct. 8 -- All said and done, India remains one of the most authentic democracies in the world, not to mention the largest. In any democracy, the self-interest of elected leaders to remain in power by winning future elections aligns with their moral responsibility to deliver effective governance to citizens. This theoretical construct, however, may not always hold true in practice. In India, for example, other factors have historically affected electoral outcomes and influenced the incentives of leaders. Electoral strategies, narratives, party alliances, vote-share, caste, religion, and language compete for mindspace with good governance and development goals.

However, the generational shift in India's electorate, which has made it...