Political tectonic shift in Maharashtra boosts PM Modi's power hunt, just the way FIIs bet

economictimes.indiatimes.com:

Ajit Pawar and several lawmakers from his former party joined the provincial government. In a strategic move, Pawar, a senior member of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), was appointed as the deputy chief minister for the Maharashtra government, while eight of the 53 NCP lawmakers also took their oaths to become part of the government. This comes at a time as BJP is striving to fortify their presence in key states after losing the assembly elections in some of those regions.

In recent years, BJP faced defeats in West Bengal by a big margin to Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress that is seen as a fierce rival to BJP and lost in Himachal Pradesh and Karnataka in May that gave a big momentum to opposition Congress party. BJP is in power in 10 out of 28 states. The Congress party managed to regain power in Karnataka after a decade, displacing the BJP from its only stronghold in the southern region.

This victory was a critical milestone for the Congress, as they seek to revive their electoral fortunes ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. Indian economist Swaminathan S. Anklesaria Aiyar had opined that, following the Karnataka elections, the BJP's victory in 2024 is likely but no longer assured.

However, the defections in Maharashtra could potentially assist the BJP in securing more parliamentary seats in the upcoming general elections, which may take place in less than a year. Prime Minister Narendra Modi's BJP currently does not hold power in any of the southern states, making the challenge of reclaiming the supreme chair for a third consecutive term even more demanding. However, foreign investors are already betting on the BJP's return to power in India.