Implementation of the environmental agendas put forward in the election manifestos of 2014 of eight major political parties is found to be unsatisfactory. There is a need for more synergy between the election agendas and their implementation to tackle environmental issues and the impacts of climate change.
There are many instances when environmental concerns become pivotal for elections. This, however, does not hold true for India as much as for the Western or European countries. It is worthwhile then to explore how climate change and environmental issues have been viewed andaddressed by the political parties inIndia. For this purpose, the 2014 parliamentary election manifestos of eight major political parties—Indian National Congress (INC), Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Communist Party ofIndia (Marxist)—CPI(M), Communist Party of India (CPI), Samajwadi Party, All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) and Shiv Sena are reviewed on the policies and promises stated inrelation to environment and climate, with the benefit of a hindsight view of the ground realities in terms of implementation and responses to environmental crises.
Indian National Congress
