India’s Ruling Party Is Counting on New Conquests in 2019 Election
- BJP looks to eastern states to offset Hindi heartland losses
- 220 million poor families will ensure BJP victory, Shah says
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India’s ruling party is counting on making significant gains in the country’s east and northeast after recent electoral losses in traditional strongholds put it on the back foot before the 2019 general elections.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party lost power in the states of Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh this month, energizing the main opposition Congress party, which formed government in all three. The setbacks raised questions about Modi’s ability to replicate his landslide 2014 victory, the biggest mandate in 30 years.