Harsh V Pant
Less than a year ago, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi looked impregnable. He had won re-election in a landslide, shifted the country decisively to the right and decimated the main opposition Congress party. His sectarian decision to change the status of Kashmir and propose a new citizenship law provoked cries of outrage, but did not appear to dent his popularity.
But February’s state elections in Delhi have dealt Modi a blow—and may have shown his opponents how he can eventually be defeated at national level. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)—or Common Man Party—won 62 out of 70 seats, and its leader, Arvind Kejriwal, has emerged as one of the most important political faces in India. It was Kejriwal’s third successive victory in Delhi, and his hat-trick has prompted some commentators to wonder whether he could be the politician to eventually challenge Modi’s dominance.