Why do Indians worship their political leaders?

In 1945, Churchill won the war for England but he lost in the 1946 general elections because the electorate did not think him fit to lead the country in peace time. Ditto was the case with the French President Charles De Gaulle, the chief architect of the Fifth Republic and leader of the Free French Movement in World War II. When one compares the Indian mind-set with this, it is sadly lacking in separating right from wrong.

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The Three warning which Dr. BR Ambedkar gave in his last speech to Constituent assembly are of relevance in this context. They are

1. The first thing in my judgement we must do is to hold fast to constitutional methods of achieving our social and economic objectives.
2. The second thing we must do is to observe the caution which John Stuart Mill has given to all who are interested in the maintenance of democracy, namely, not “to lay their liberties at the feet of even a great man, or to trust him with power which enable him to subvert their institutions”.
3. The third thing we must do is not to be content with mere political democracy. We must make our political democracy a social democracy as well.

What does the term ‘hero’ mean ?
A hero is someone who does something for society, someone who people look up to and say I wish I could do the things he has done. A hero has the extraordinary ability to rise above those around him, he’s willing to do things that most just dream of. A hero is someone whose shoes you would like to be in. The wanting is the first step towards establishing someone as a hero. Willingness to do things and not put himself over anyone. Dhirubhai Ambani, Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, Ratan Tata, Azim Premji, Shiv Nadar—to name just a few—are some who have caused others to aspire to follow them. They are outstanding performers who we look up to.

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Is there a need for heroes?
Young people do need heroes to look up to and emulate. The coming generations do need examples to follow. Heroes are the key to any nation’s success. Each generation has produced heroes. Heroes are the only ones who change lives. Heroes can make the most impact on the minds when one is between seven and 15 years of age.
INDIAN POLITICS

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In the context of India, it is generally deemed as a normal thing to worship the politician as a super hero or even God than to simply commend him or positively highlight his actions. Though many citizens find it unacceptable, nevertheless it is a public tendency in India to praise the politician with blind adulation and reverence.
A leader who works for the downtrodden will always have our unstinted support and respect but that does not imply we have to overdo it by changing respect into a fawning submission.
It is highly important to commend the leader and felicitate him for his good work as doing so will not only encourage his actions but also ensure the news of his good work is disseminated down to the grassroots and other politicians also learn how to follow suit.
But commendation of the politician when runs into the arena of holy worship, that as history can tell leads to the ruin of the democratic system of checks and balances.
DANGERS OF HERO WORSHIP
The common masses do not realize that in their pampering of their leader they are contributing to his/her:

• full exemption hence prone to corruption
• unaccountability hence prone to breaking the law
• absolute power hence prone to mistreating his underlings, workers and the civilians

Exceptions might be there, but it is too huge a risk to gamble on rare exceptions and then having to deal with a dictator in a democratic society.
Retired High Court Judge CS Dharmadhikari feels that hero worship and obsession with celebrities is a dangerous trend, as it destroys the Rule of Law. "This might be repeated in some other cases. And if it happens, even temporarily, it may destroy the democracy in our country."
SOLUTION (What can be done to change this culture?)
Praise The Worthy The Right Way
It is not unethical to seek praise for one’s work but to seek it in ways which reek of sycophantic gestures is undoubtedly an annoyance. The political party or the politician in order to show how he delivered on his/her promises can attempt the following ways to gain recognition:

• Start a scholarship; grant in his/her name or in the name of the leader posthumously.
• Organize competitions in his/her name
• Name a street after the person than build a statue.
• Open an NGO, school or institution in his/her name. Fund it.
• Sponsor cultural, literary and sports events especially for the marginalised communities or disadvantaged schools and institutions.
• Sponsor budding talents. Etc. etc.

These are just few guidelines to suggest a right direction. Many of these have been implemented in India but there is room for much much more. Hence time, energy and resources need to be spent in these projects than wasting resources on lavishness of public appearances, razzle-dazzle of long speeches and fancy ramp walks etc.
Praise than Worship

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Finally it might seem that in attacking hero worship, the attempt is to marginalize the efforts and hard work of the worthy leaders. This is certainly not the case and if such thinking prevails then it is a misconception. It is extremely important to acknowledge the great deeds of our worthy politicians but a line has to be drawn to ensure adulation does not turn into unchecked adulation.
A politician who works for the public day and night and who leaves no stone unturned to keep it sailing on the tide of progress needs our unbridled support, admiration and acknowledgement. If we do not do this, he/she will be left unsung, his actions unpublicised, and his work will not be known to the public to garner support or engender a public opinion.
Reference
Why do people give politicians a God like status? (quora)
The culture of hero worship - Times of India (times of India)
Hero Worship In Indian Politics: Praise The Worthy (The Logical Indian)
The Psychology of Celebrity Worship | World of Psychology (Psychcentral)
Why BR Ambedkar's three warnings in his last speech to the Constituent Assembly resonate even today