The alliance led by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party secured a landslide victory in the western state of Maharashtra over the weekend, a win analysts see as pivotal for restoring the party’s dominance after it lost its outright majority in parliamentary elections earlier this year.
The BJP-led alliance, known as Mahayuti, secured 235 out of 288 seats in the western state’s legislature, ensuring a comfortable majority. Maharashtra, home to India’s financial hub Mumbai, holds significant political weight as it accounts for the second-largest number of parliamentary seats.
Few opinion polls had predicted such a decisive win for the BJP-led alliance. Doubts had been mounting over Modi’s leadership, particularly after the BJP lost substantial ground in its traditional strongholds amid public disputes with its ideological mentor, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).
The RSS, a right-wing Hindu nationalist organisation, had previously withheld its full support due to internal disagreements, but analysts said it appears to have settled its differences with the ruling party.
“The Maharashtra results show the benefit of total unity within the right-wing Hindu groups. This time the RSS were out with all their strength to campaign for the BJP,” said Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay, an author and an independent political commentator.
