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Narendra Modi’s party claimed victory in the state polls in Delhi, regaining control of the capital’s regional government for the first time in nearly 30 years, and assisting the prime minister ahead of next week’s meeting with Donald Trump.
Delhi, a territory of 202 million people, including the Indian government seat in New Delhi, has long fled Modi. His Bharatiya Janata Party holds seats in all territories of the National Assembly, but its legislative assembly was recently ruled by the populist Aam Aadmi Party.
The BJP recorded the victory highlighted in the vote on Wednesday, reaching 22 AAP seats, with results in all 70 seats issued by the Election Commission on Saturday.
The Indian National Congress, the country’s major opposition, is ruled by the Nehru Gandhi dynasty, and after 15 years of control of city-states, it has been handed over to AAP, but has not been able to win one seat for three consecutive times. .
The victory solidified Modi’s revived political momentum after his party lost a parliamentary majority in the June national poll following his victory in two state elections last year.
The 74-year-old prime minister was a jubilant and told his supporters it was a “overwhelming and historic mission” for the BJP. “We made history in Delhi. Delhi is not just a city, it’s a mini India,” he said of the party’s headquarters.
His party came to power in Delhi for the first time since 1998. He stands internationally,” said Niya Choudhry, a Delhi-based political analyst.
Analysts said the BJP had benefited from the opposition of being split. The campaign sought to appeal to middle-class voters, who make up almost 70% of the region’s population. The poll comes days after Modi’s government introduced tax cuts on middle-income Indians.
India’s growth remains the fastest of the major global economy, but is hampered by poor urban consumption, slower employment growth and stubborn food price inflation.
The Reserve Bank of India cut interest rates for the first time in five years on Friday, with the government’s forecast rising 6.4% in 2024-25, down from 8.2% in 2023. -twenty four.
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Modi is preparing to travel to Washington to meet Trump next week. Leaders formed close ties during their first term as US president, and New Delhi was a strategic partner in Washington’s efforts to counter the increasingly assertive Beijing.
But India will also be wary of becoming a target of Trump’s trade hostility. On Friday, the US president threatened to impose “mutual” tariffs on US trading partners next week without specifying a target. The US is India’s second-largest trading partner close to China, with New Delhi having a trade surplus of $35 billion with Washington between January and November 2024.
Last week, India cut US import obligations, including longtime Trump complaint Harley Davidson motorcycles. It also embraced the return of more than 100 undocumented Indian immigrants, causing local outrage over allegations of being abused in US military flights.
Analysts said the BJP’s victory in Delhi is particularly important and could even resonate in Washington.
“Delhi is very important,” Choudhry said. Because “the second largest city in the world, its geographical location in the heart of India, its politics and what happens here naturally attracts national and international attention. Community.”
