In India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ruling BJP Party suffered a convincing defeat in a crucial state election that was seen as a referendum on Modi's leadership.
Results are still being counted in the state of Bihar but the BJP has conceded to the projected winner, Nitish Kumar, the sitting chief minister, a post akin to a U.S. governor, and an anti-Modi stalwart.
Public opinion surveys suggested that Modi's BJP was poised for triumph, but Kumar upset expectations and swiftly gained ground in the election to select a new Legislative Assembly in Bihar, a populous, impoverished northern state.
Kumar continues as Chief Minister, his third term. A left-leaning coalition led by Kumar routed his arch-rival Modi.
Modi had been unusually high-profile for a prime minister in a state race, making some 40 campaign appearances along with and extravagant promises of development, but the BJP's message turned polarizing over issues such as beef bans, Pakistan, and quotas for minorities. Modi's party was rebuked for stoking dangerous divisions that risked undermining unity between Hindus and Muslims.
The winning alliance included Sonia Gandhi's Congress Party that in recent years, has failed miserably in almost all elections around the country. Rahul Gandhi, the party's vice president, seized the rare moment to say that the results "were a victory of truth, brotherhood and against the ego of the BJP... and against what he called the BJP's "divisive ideology."
In recent weeks, leaders in the Indian arts, sciences, and letters have expressed deep apprehension about an atmosphere of intolerance they say is gathering in India. They point to the recent lynching of a Muslim man on rumors that he had slaughtered a cow, an animal considered sacred in the Hindu faith.
The Bihar state election is being closely watched for its national implications. The Opposition says the results demand a "course correction" from Modi and his party. Whether the bruising defeat will prompt a change in the tone or tack from the Modi adminsitration beyond a possible cabinet re-shuffle is the hotly-debated question.
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