NEW DELHI. The political career of Jayashree Sharma, India’s most powerful female politician, is on the verge of collapse as her party fractures amid allegations of corruption and internal dissent. UK-based observers from the Westminster Foundation for Democracy have issued a report charting democratic turbulence in the world’s largest electorate.
Sharma, the president of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and a close ally of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has seen her authority eroded by a series of defections to opposition parties. The latest blow came yesterday when her protégé, Ajay Kumar, resigned as chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, citing Sharma’s “autocratic leadership”. The fall of the state government has triggered fears of a domino effect in other BJP-governed states.
The UK observers, who have been monitoring India’s political landscape since 2019, describe “abnormal levels of party indiscipline” and “a loss of confidence in institutional checks”. Their report notes that the BJP’s internal disputes mirror a broader trend of democratic erosion in India, where the central government has increasingly targeted civil society and the press.
Sharma, 54, rose to power as Modi’s most effective strategist, credited with winning two landslide elections. However, her ruthless management style has alienated senior party members. Last month, she removed three state chief ministers without warning, prompting accusations of authoritarianism.
“This is not about one woman,” said Professor James Whitfield of the Oxford India Institute, who advised the UK observers. “It is about the health of Indian democracy. When party leaders rely on coercion rather than consensus, the entire ecosystem suffers.”
The BJP has dismissed the UK report as “foreign interference” and a “baseless attack on sovereignty”. Yet sources within the party confirm that Sharma’s position is precarious. A senior party functionary, speaking on condition of anonymity, said: “The prime minister has not explicitly backed her since the Uttar Pradesh defection. That tells you everything.”
The crisis comes at a critical time for India, which faces slowing economic growth, rising unemployment, and tensions with China. The opposition Congress party has called for Sharma’s resignation and fresh leadership elections.
UK observers are also concerned about the impact on India’s international standing. “India has long been a pillar of stability in South Asia,” said a diplomatic source in London. “But the image of a powerful female politician presiding over a crumbling party does not inspire confidence in its governance model.”
As the drama unfolds, attention turns to Modi’s next move. If he sacks Sharma, he risks alienating her loyalists. If he does nothing, the party may haemorrhage further. The next 48 hours are likely to determine Sharma’s fate, and with it the trajectory of Indian democracy.
