The Indian Local Elections in five provincial state assemblies are over. It was more like a mini general election. Many experts referred to it as a semi-final before the final -- the general election due in 2019. The states which went to the polls were Utter Pradesh, Uttaranchal, Goa, Punjab, and Manipur. Out these states, the most important is UP which has a population of 200 million and sends 82 members to Parliament. The BJP the parent party of Narendra Modi has swept to power in UP and Uttaranchal. The party won more than 3/4 of the seats. This augers well for 2019 as now the BJP will be in the driver's seat for the coming election in 2019.
Grip of Modi
The elections show that the charisma of Modi is intact and he remains the most formidable political leader. Modi has also consolidated his grip on the party and he will be the most visible face of the BJP. The biggest defeat is of the grand old party the Congress. The Congress party leader Rahul Gandhi would be a sad man as he sees his ambition to be a replacement for Modi being ground to dust.
The Congress won decisively in only Punjab, where the ruling Shiromani Akali Dal simply collapsed. The Congress won 78 seats out of 117, but knowledgeable observers credit the victory only due to the standing of the erstwhile maharaja of Patiala, Capt Amrinder Singh. In any case, the state only sends 13 MPs to the Lower house (Lok Sabha) and a victory does not have the same weightage as UP.
Development agenda
These results show that Modi' s development agenda like demonetization, fiscal reforms and perceived attack on corruption has gone down well with the voters. The voters are still in awe of him and Modi can expect that he will romp home in the 2019 general election.
Future
The election result will be a shot in the arm of Modi who can now go ahead and implement his economic policy.
india is the 3rd biggest economy in Asia and also with the highest growth rate. Modi will also get more FDI. Foreign companies from the US and UK will get a bigger chance to invest in India. The future looks exciting with Modi at the helm. The chance that he may win in 2019, will be a source of encouragement to invest in India.
