Modi’s ally returns as chief minister after sweeping Indian state polls

BBC:

Days after recording a landslide victory in India’s Bihar state, Janata Dal (United) leader Nitish Kumar has taken oath as chief minister.

Kumar’s party and its allies, which includes Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), won 202 out of 243 seats in the recently-held polls.

Kumar, 74, one of the state’s most influential political figures, took office for a record 10th time.

The polls were held after a controversial revision of lists that the opposition alleged would exclude genuine voters and give BJP an edge – a charge both the party and Election Commission denied.

Kumar has been Bihar’s chief minister for most part of the last two decades, leaving a nine-month window between 2014 and 2015.

He was sworn in before a large crowd in Patna on Thursday, a day after his party’s legislators chose him as their leader and the wider alliance endorsed the decision.

Bihar, home to more than 74 million voters and among India’s poorest states, sees millions migrate for work. It’s also one of the few states where Modi’s party has never formed a government on its own.

This year’s turnout hit a record 66.91% – the highest since 1951 – with women voting in great numbers than men. Polls were held on 6 and 11 November, and after counting on 14 November, Modi called the result “a victory for democracy”.

While the BJP secured 89 seats, Kumar’s party won 85. The remaining 28 seats were won by other alliance partners such as Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular) and the Rashtriya Lok Morcha.

Their main rival was a coalition of India’s main opposition Congress party, the regional Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and several smaller parties, which collectively won 35 seats.

The Bihar polls were crucial as they precede key elections next year in West Bengal, Kerala and Tamil Nadu – states where the BJP is not in power and has struggled to gain ground.