EXPERTS ADVISORY

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s party suffered a serious setback in elections in the eastern state of Bihar. Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party won 34 percent of seats, while the Grand Alliance—a new group that includes three opposition parties—won 47 percent of the total seats.

University of Michigan professors can analyze the vote:

Puneet Manchanda, professor of marketing, is an expert on business in emerging markets, business in India and strategy and marketing issues.

“Unlike the AAP’s victory in Delhi, which was more a reflection of the electorate’s disillusionment with politicians in general, this defeat represents a much more direct and negative evaluation of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party’s performance over the last year,” he said. “It seems that there is significant concern with both the economic and social policies of the government.

“Losing a big heartland state like Bihar is definitely a setback for the BJP as it could take the air out of the economic reforms just at the point where they should be gathering momentum. This defeat also exposes the difference between the popularity of Prime Minister Modi, which remains high, and that of the rest of the party, which is declining. For the opposition, this victory suggests that a coalition of parties is best way to compete against the ruling party, as no single party currently has the heft to do so.”

Contact: 734-936-2445, pmanchan@umich.edu

Brian Min, assistant professor of political science, studies the political economy of development, with a focus on the politics of energy, ethnic politics and civil conflict.

Contact: 734-546-6824, brianmin@umich.edu

Leela Fernandes, professor of women’s studies and political science, is an authority on the relationship between politics and culture.

“The Bihar election is the second significant loss (after the Delhi results) that reflects a rejection of an election campaign that involved direct campaigning by both the BJP and Mod himself,” she said. “The results are an important signal of dissatisfaction with the government. The questions at hand are both whether the government will deliver on its promise of inclusive development and whether the government will continue to allow the disturbing trends of religious violence to continue and spread.”

Contact: 734-780-7514, leelaf@umich.edu