India has commenced the local elections in the central state of Chhattisgarh and the northeastern state of Mizoram, a pivotal gauge of the national sentiment leading up to next year’s general elections.
These elections, which began on Tuesday, witness a face-off between India’s opposition Congress party and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
While Mizoram’s polling will conclude by evening, Chhattisgarh will enter its second phase of voting on November 17, alongside polls in the neighboring Madhya Pradesh state. Further voting in two more states, western Rajasthan and southern Telangana, is scheduled for November 23 and November 30, respectively. The results from all five states will be consolidated on December 3.
The opposition Congress party currently holds power in Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh, whereas Modi’s BJP governs Madhya Pradesh, with its regional ally maintaining control in Mizoram. Telangana is governed by a strong regional party, Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), previously known as Telangana Rashtra Samithi.
In an attempt to limit Modi’s growing influence, the Congress has formed a national coalition of previously fragmented opposition parties called the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA).
Modi and other senior BJP leaders, as well as prominent Congress politicians like its former chief, Rahul Gandhi, have been vigorously campaigning in these states, offering subsidies, loan waivers, and employment guarantees to sway voters.
Despite nearly a decade in power, Modi and his party remain popular at the national level, and surveys suggest that he is expected to secure a third term as prime minister. However, the BJP faces formidable challenges in all five state elections, with issues such as rising unemployment and inflation likely to be of concern to citizens.
Meanwhile, the Congress aspires to regain power in these states ahead of the national elections and has introduced welfare programs for women and farmers in states where it directly competes with the BJP.
Over his nine years in office, Modi has strengthened the BJP’s influence in northern and central India. Nonetheless, the party has encountered substantial opposition in states where regional parties wield significant sway. Recent elections have seen Congress unseat local BJP governments in southern Karnataka and northern Himachal Pradesh states, denting the ruling party’s perception of invincibility.
