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India’s Modi celebrates as party set for big win in state vote

AFP | Patna

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Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi yesterday hailed a “resounding” victory for his party and its allies in a key local election in the state of Bihar.

The eastern state of 130 million people was widely seen as a bellwether and a test of Modi’s ability to translate New Delhi’s booming economy into gains for its citizens.

Counting is still ongoing and the final tally may not be out until Saturday, but the election commission said partial results and projections suggested a solid majority for Modi’s Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its allies in the state assembly.

Modi called the win a “victory of good governance”.

“This resounding public mandate will empower us to serve the people and work with new resolve for Bihar,” he said in a post on social media.

Together with smaller allies, BJP are on course to securing at least three quarters of the state legislature’s 243 seats, according to figures from the election commission.

The election outcome can boost Modi and his party ahead of other key regional polls next year, analysts say.