He seemed unstoppable and invincible, feared and endeared in equal measure.
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The five-phase Bihar assembly elections had began on October 12 and ended on November 5. In panic, BJP leaders started highlighting issues of caste, creed and crime (jungle raj).
But earlier this year, the BJP was trounced in Delhi state elections.
Senior BJP chief and Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad had rejected ideas that RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat’s reservation comment had a unfavorable impression on the party’s electoral fortunes in Bihar.
Kumar’s victory may also be an indication of more ubiquitous political troubles that could have far-reaching economic results.
The results in Bihar have lain to rest the idea that India had permanently taken a new turn. So important was this Bihar election that even the worldwide media, foreign investors and diplomats were making trips to Patna, the state capital.
“This was not the case in Bihar, where Nitish Kumar had a governance track record most voters rated positively”.
But Modi’s pro-business government has changed global perception about Indian economy.
The BJP is in a minority in the upper house of parliament, where seats are allocated according to a party’s strength in the states, enabling the opposition to block reforms, including the biggest overhaul of taxes since independence in 1947.
Unless the Modi government is able to take along the opposition, enacting new legislation will become even tougher. “Press the accelerator. If you fail to press the accelerator, like Bihar, the people of the country will open the door and throw you out”, he said. Can not win elections by pitting Hindus against Muslims. In one of the most notorious recent incidents of hate crime in India, a Muslim man was lynched by a mob which suspected he had eaten beef.
“Yadav and Kumar’s rival parties came together to stop the BJP from riding Modi’s popularity in the state election”.
Modi said in a tweeter message that he had congratulated Kumar for the election win. While the leader of the alliance BJP was ahead in 59, its partners HAM (secular) was leading in 3 seats and RLSP and LJP were ahead in two each. The people did go back humming the hit song from Tanu Weds Manu Returns – banno tera swagger laage saxy, but beyond that they were not willing to consider Modi either as groom or as bride.
There will undoubtedly be pressure on Modi from all corners – business and industry, the Hindu nationalists and leaders of his own party – to delegate more power and be more willing to trust people with responsibility. While inflation has come down substantially thanks to falling oil prices, food price inflation has recently increased a bit, hitting the poor where it hurts them most.
Nitish Kumar managed to garner support from several other state chief ministers like Delhi’s Arvind Kejriwal of Aam Aadmi Party and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee who made an appeal for votes on his behalf.
While growth is now purring along at around seven percent, complaints have been mounting about Modi’s failure to nail down major reforms to boost investment and help create jobs for tens of millions of young people.
Just four days after an embarrassing political setback, Prime Minister Modi will be travelling to Turkey and UK. GVL Narasimha Rao, a spokesman, denied the loss was a personal blow for Modi, saying the odds were stacked against their party after regional rivals joined forces. The thread is open for 24 hours.
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