In the biggest election in the world this year — in terms of population, at least — India’s governing Hindu nationalist party recorded a massive victory that underscored the widespread popularity of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. on his image, then Modi can look at 2019 with confidence.”In other state assembly results announced Saturday, the BJP won a sizable majority in rural Uttarakhand state but fell short in the northern farming state of Punjab, which was won by the opposition Indian National Congress. No party won a majority in two smaller states, Goa and Manipur. The BJP controls 13 of India’s 29 state assemblies, but by far the biggest prize is Uttar Pradesh, where it had not held a majority since 1991. “The coordination between the state and [the central government in New Delhi] would be good,” Sharma said.

Source: Los Angeles Times March 11, 2017 18:00 UTC