Milan Vaishnav, Columnist

Indians Expect an Economic Superman

Even with a legislative majority, Narendra Modi will face big obstacles in his effort to recharge Indian economic growth.
Narendra Modi's tasks range from difficult to impossible. Photographer: Ajay Aggarwal/Hindustan Times via Getty Images
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Has India's economic savior arrived? Exit polls suggest that Narendra Modi of the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party is poised to become India's next prime minister when votes are counted Friday. The hope is that Modi can scale his regional economic success story in Gujarat into a national one.

Appeals for divine intervention are commonplace in India, a country where faith is invoked for everything from good weather to good marriage prospects. Yet unless Modi truly possesses supernatural strengths, fulfilling voters' hopes for a dramatic improvement in India's fortunes will be exceedingly difficult.