What the results mean for...

In the campaign for this set of assembly polls, Bharatiya Janata Party relied extensively on its local leaders rather than on the Prime Minister. Yet, the defeats in key heartland states come as a blow to Modi. And they could not have come at a worse time, given that economic growth is weakening, institu- tions are mired in controversy and there is a general sense of an administration that is not in control. Modi may still be the most popular national leader. But Indian voters have sent him a message that they are not happy with the delivery of his government. Suddenly 2019 has become a truly open contest. Despite having been in power for 15 years, Chouhan put up a credible show in Madhya Pradesh in what was a stiff contest. His mass connect and welfare programmes explain his appeal. But agrarian distress, local anti incumbency and persistent unemployment did him in. Chouhan will, however, be extremely important in the BJP because he one of its most experienced administrators. The party will also depend on him to retain in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls as many of the 26 of the 29 seats it currently holds from MP. Gandhi has arrived as a leader. This is his first major electoral triumph after taking charge as the Congress president last year. Gandhi has displayed unusual aggression, sharp management skills, and led from the front ever since last year’s Gujarat elections. He also had reached out across party KCR, as he is popularly called, has emerged as one of India’s sharpest political minds with astute timing. He has taken the idea of welfare politics to another level; and combined it with sub nationalism. KCR’S innovative schemes — from lines to construct wider alliances. But an electoral triumph had been elusive. This win will boost the Congress morale, increase its bargaining power with other regional parties, generate more resources, and make Gandhi the principal leader of the antiModi pole of Indian politics. direct financial assistance to farmers, support to families for weddings, promise of proper apartments to poor, and pensions for the needy — will increasingly become the template for other governments as citizens demand more.