ISAS Insights

Religion and politics have long had a complex and interdependent relationship in several nation states. This interplay is particularly interesting in the case of democracies. India and Indonesia are two such examples. The election of Yogi Adityanath in India this year was followed closely by the defeat of former Jakarta Governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, also known as Ahok, in Indonesia. These two 'religiously-tinged' events have brought to the fore the issue of religion in politics in the respective countries. This paper argues that the political system in each of these two countries has given rise to mechanisms which allow for the 'indirect' use of religion as an electoral tool. However, power and office have a moderating influence on extreme religious ideologies.