Narendra Modi came to the fore in Indian politics in 2014. Asserted to be a populist par excellence, he was able to mobilize his ring wing agenda to polarize the Indian society and create an illusion of an antagonistic frontier via populist logic. A relative research effort has been devoted to his populist agenda, with supply-side studies focusing on the discourse of underdog vs the elite, and the demand-side linking his populism with the electorate’s sociological profile, their political ideologue, beliefs etc. Yet far less attention has been given to the way Modi has been able to change the discourse by allowing the social and cultural spaces to be mobilized by subjective emotions including anger, fear, anxiety, guilt, shame, anger, hatred, and betrayal. Within this change-driven discursive logic, particularly in India, emotionality and affect are not bad words, but a medium of mobilization of diverse groups along the socio-cultural and political lines. Considering this engagement, the research aims to investigate how through the medium of emotions and affect, populism is structuring subjectivity. The aim is to show emotions also became a way of mobilizing group support and a means of group identification (whereby the subject can acquire a sense of social self or identity) which is leading to volatility and violence. Overall, this research seeks to shed light on the role of emotions and affect in shaping populism and its impact on society. This is a crucial area of inquiry that can contribute to our understanding of the dynamics of populism and its effects on social, cultural, and political structures.
