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Indian Democracy in the Light of J.S. Mill's Democratic Thought: A Comparative Analysis

Author Affiliations

  • 1State Aided College Teacher, Department of Political Science, Nagar College, Nagar, Murshidabad, West Bengal, India

Res. J. Language and Literature Sci., Volume 12, Issue (3), Pages 35-40, June,19 (2025)

Abstract

In the 21st century, the most widely accepted and discussed system of governance is democracy. Democracy has become synonymous with good governance in global political discourse. On the other hand, J.S. Mill (1806–1873) is regarded as one of the key thinkers of modern democratic theory. His seminal works, On Liberty (1859) and Considerations on Representative Government (1861), offer foundational insights into democratic governance. This paper aims to assess the nature and condition of Indian democracy using Mill’s democratic ideas as a theoretical framework. While fulfilling Mill’s conditions may not automatically guarantee democratic success, this comparative analysis explores whether the world's largest democracy — India — can be considered an "ideal democracy" with respect to Mill's standards.

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