Vineet Pal

If you look at how elections happen in Brazil, you will understand the value and strength of Indian democracy. 🇮🇳 ✅ 2003 to 2010: Left wing leader Lula da Silva served as Brazil’s President. In 2018, he was jailed in a corruption case for nearly 580 days. ✅ 2018: Right wing Jair Bolsonaro won the presidency. The judge who convicted Lula later became Bolsonaro’s Justice Minister. ✅ 2021 to 2022: Brazil’s Supreme Court annulled Lula’s convictions, and Lula returned to power after defeating Bolsonaro. ✅ 2023 to 2025: Lula appointed his former lawyer and Justice Minister to the Supreme Court. Both later voted to convict Jair Bolsonaro in a coup plot case. He received a 27 year prison sentence. ✅ 2026 Election: Bolsonaro’s son Flávio challenged Lula. On election day, Lula’s former lawyer, now a Supreme Court judge, ordered a controversial two hour voting extension. Both campaigns had sought extra time. ✅ Result: Lula won with 51.79% and a margin of over 44 lakh votes. The election faced challenges, but there is no established evidence that the extension changed the result. ✅ India’s Interest: Despite Lula’s left wing ideology, his support for BRICS, the Global South and a multipolar world order aligns with India’s strategic interests. ✅ The Bigger Picture: India manages a much larger electorate with extraordinary political, religious and linguistic diversity. Despite its challenges, our democratic continuity remains a remarkable achievement. We should question our institutions when necessary, but also recognize the extraordinary strength of the world’s largest democracy. 🇮🇳