NEW DELHI — At a dinner party in one of this city’s wealthy enclaves recently, the subject had turned to the Indian election, and the elegant, accomplished woman sitting beside me explained why she had decided to back Narendra Modi. “What India needs right now,” she said, “is a benevolent despot.”

It’s not unusual to hear this sentiment in New Delhi drawing rooms these days. These are not necessarily speeches in praise of Mr. Modi, the hard-nosed, pro-business leader of the state of Gujarat. They describe a yearning for restoration of control, and the hope that it will translate into growth.

Over the last five years, optimism about India’s future has been replaced by anxiety about slipping behind — in particular, behind China. Blame has settled on the Indian National Congress-led government: its prime minister ineffectual, its parliamentary sessions clamorous and embarrassing. The desire for a strong hand has taken hold among the elites. Mr. Modi has had fortunate timing.

It reminded me of something. In the late 1990s, the same yearning had emerged in Russia, a country I had covered on and off since the Soviet collapse. With the economy in disarray — a situation far more dire than India’s, it should be said — President Boris N. Yeltsin was seen by Russians as a drunken bumbler, allowing oligarchs to plunder the state’s assets while ordinary people suffered.