For the first time in its 46-year history, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has won the state of West Bengal, arguably the Hindu nationalist party’s most consequential victory since 2014, the year Modi first came to power.The legislative assembly elections were held on several dates in April in West Bengal, three other Indian states – Tamil Nadu, Assam and Kerala – as well as in the federally-governed territory of Puducherry.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of listThe BJP retained Assam for a third consecutive term, while the coalition it is a part of also returned to power in Puducherry. The southern state of Tamil Nadu saw the rise of yet another film star, following in the state’s long tradition of cine icons turning into mass political leaders. Actor Joseph Vijay broke the stranglehold of two long-dominant state parties with a fledgling political outfit and is poised to become the next chief minister.In neighbouring Kerala, a communist government lost to its traditional rival, an Indian National Congress-led alliance – a familiar election cycle in the state, which also marks the first time in 50 years that the left is not in control of any Indian state.But while each of these votes matters — and we’ll return to them — the West Bengal outcome represents the biggest takeaway from Monday’s verdict.A history that h …
