Modi May Face a Photo Finish in Crucial State Election
- Election pending in prime minister’s home state of Gujarat
- Economic woes, incumbency are deflating the BJP’s campaign
Kites with photos of Narendra Modi and Rahul Gandhi at a shop ahead of Gujarat's legislative assembly election, in Ahmedabad on Dec. 7, 2017.
Photographer: Sam Panthaky/AFP/Getty ImagesThis article is for subscribers only.
A cakewalk state election has turned into a closer than expected race for India’s prime minister as a landmark tax reform and his disruptive cash ban last year stoke economic discontent in his home state.
Although Narendra Modi’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party is still expected to win the upcoming election in Gujarat, his lead in the polls has shrunk amid grumbling about the economy and the prime minister is campaigning hard as the vote approaches. It’s being treated as a bellwether for Modi’s chance of national re-election in 2019, with significant implications for the $2.3 trillion national economy.