India, Modi's election triumph in Bihar

Partly because - being a backward, predominantly agricultural state and not integrated into global value chains - the population should not have felt any particular negative impact from the US tariffs. Partly because New Delhi's rigid negotiating stance in defence of farmers can only have increased the popularity of the government and Modi in the state.

The elections in Bihar were accompanied by great controversy. The main ones concerned Modi himself, who a few days before the vote ordered a transfer of 10,000 rupees (EUR 97) per head in favour of 7.5 million voters in Bihar, as part of a project promoted by the local government to stimulate female entrepreneurship. The average annual income per capita in Bihar is 32,227 rupees, less than a third of the national average.

The reputation of the Election Commission of India was also severely compromised by the vote, after it launched a controversial programme in the months leading up to the election to 'clean up' the electoral rolls, which resulted in the elimination of millions of names. According to activists of Bharat Jodo Abhiyaan, an organisation campaigning in defence of the Constitution and civil rights, the operation reduced the number of Muslim voters to a much greater extent than other communities. Muslims are an electoral constituency that almost exclusively votes for opposition parties as opposed to the Hindu nationalists of Modi's BJP.

Asia24 is Il Sole 24 Ore's free fortnightly newsletter on the most dynamic and populous continent on Earth. To subscribe, click here