The religious sectarianism and the politics of Hindu nationalism that shape contemporary India can be traced back to the “divide and rule” policy of British colonization and the misleading rhetoric of Indian political elites. British constitutional reforms establishing religious-based electorates, along with deceptive narratives from Muslim elites that encouraged their followers to endorse a national partition plan, have been instrumental in creating and perpetuating the Hindu-Muslim divide over the centuries.​ During the Indian Independence Movement, growing animosity between Hindu and Muslim citizens prompted the rise of various religious-based coalitions such as the Hindu Mahasabha and the All-India Muslim League. In the post-colonial era, critical developments in the realm of religious nationalism continued, including the ascendency of the Hindutva Bharatiya Janata Party, the codification of a uniform civil code based on Hindu ideals, and the mobilization of social and political grassroots movements intending to reassert Muslim rights. By exploring the influence of political elitism in both the modern and colonial eras on the evolution of religious identities and secularism in India, this paper analyzes the state of democracy in India before and after independence in 1947. The examination of Hindu nationalism’s history within this study also aims to provide significant perspectives on analogous religious movements, historically or contemporaneously.