To begin with, while there is now overwhelming evidence that state elections are fought and won on state-specific leadership and issues, they cannot be divorced from the larger national backdrop. There are three specific national-level changes, which will have an impact on state polls. And finally, in three of the five states going to polls — Assam, West Bengal and Tamil Nadu — domestic politics has a strong external dimension. These polls also matter because they will shape the political future of a range of parties. So there is a clash between its local politics and its national ambition of weakening the BJP.

Source: Hindustan Times February 27, 2021 14:48 UTC