Modi’s party will remain bullish after Indian polls

Significance

In Himachal Pradesh, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was ousted from power by India’s main opposition Congress party. In Gujarat, it returned to government with a landslide victory while Arvind Kejariwal’s Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) performed well enough to earn the official status of a national party.

Impacts

• Rivalry between AAP and Congress could undermine efforts to establish a broad anti-Modi front, widely mooted but still a remote prospect.
• Congress will remain heavily influenced by the Gandhi family even though it now has a non-Gandhi leader.
• The BJP should secure at least a few confidence-boosting wins in the several state elections due in 2023.