Modi’s Big State Vote Win Positions Him for Second Term
- BJP wins Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, loses Punjab to Congress
- Control of upper house still eludes Modi, can stymie reform
VARANASI, INDIA - MARCH 4: Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the road show on March 4, 2017 in Varanasi, India. On a busy day in his Lok Sabha constituency to rally voters around the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in eastern Uttar Pradesh, Prime Minister Narendra Modi led a road show, offered prayers at two historic temples and paid tributes to Hindutva ideologue Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya.
Photographer: Hindustan Times/Hindustan Times via Getty ImagesWith an overwhelming victory in India’s most important state election, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has secured his place as the country’s most influential leader in more than three decades, eclipsing his rivals and positioning his party for a second term in 2019.
His Bharatiya Janata Party won a clear majority in Uttar Pradesh that will allow Modi to aggressively push his economic agenda, although he will still face entrenched opposition to some reforms in the upper house of parliament.