In a note-worthy turn of events‚ Narendra Modiʼs Hindu-based party got big wins in Maharashtra (one of Indias most important states) while facing set-backs in mineral-rich Jharkhand
The state-level results came just half-a-year after Modiʼs national win‚ where he needed help from other parties to keep power. These local polls were seen as a real-world check of his appeal to voters: showing both strong-points and weak-spots in different regions
The voting patterns show a split picture - Maharashtra (which has lots of business-people and factory workers) went for Modiʼs ideas; while Jharkhand with its mines and tribal groups picked the other side. The results point to how different parts of India think about the current government in very different ways
The coalition-style politics that Modi now deals with means he has to work extra hard to keep everyone happy - from big-city folks to village people. His partyʼs mixed success in these state votes (happening just months after the national one) shows how complex Indian politics can be