India elections

India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi, right, has met Chinese President Xi Jinping about 15 times as he tries to finesse relations with his big neighbor and keep Western powers happy.
India elections

Modi charms China, but at arm's length

Indian PM lures Chinese money while using Western powers to keep neighbor at bay

20 May 2019
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi made nationalism and national security the focus of his campaign. (Photo by Kosaku Mimura)
India elections

Modi poised to retain power, India's exit polls show

Congress looks to make gains as nation awaits election results on May 23

19 May 2019
BJP supporters hold masks of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi before a rally in Kolkata on May 16. (Photo by Kosaku Mimura)
India elections

BJP war chest gives it a big edge reaching Indian voters

The ruling party eyes second term as marathon election nears its end

19 May 2019
So far in the game, several opinion polls are predicting that the ruling coalition will retain power, albeit with a reduced majority. (Nikkei montage)
India elections

Five Indian politicians to watch on last day of election

PM Modi likely to return to power with thin majority for ruling coalition

19 May 2019
India and Pakistan have not been on speaking terms since February, when Indian warplanes flew into Pakistani airspace to strike what India said is a militant training camp.
India elections

Indian election keeps Pakistan anxious

Nuclear-armed neighbors 'cannot keep tensions high indefinitely'

18 May 2019
Modi's administration appears willing to use anti-corruption investigations as a tool of political intimidation.  
Opinion

India will suffer for Modi's failure to tackle corruption

Election rhetoric should not hide missed opportunities for better reforms

15 May 2019
India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi waves towards his supporters during a roadshow in Varanasi, India on April 25.
India elections

Modi whips up nationalist sentiment in final election phases

Indian leader cranks up security rhetoric while avoiding economic issues

10 May 2019
Supporters of India's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party celebrate the U.N. Security Council's decision to blacklist Masood Azhar, head of Pakistan-based militant group Jaish-e-Mohammed. REUTERS/Amit Dave
India elections

Modi boosted in election by UN listing of Pakistani terrorist

India's decadelong campaign finally given tacit greenlight by China

6 May 2019
Urmila Matondkar, a Bollywood actress-turned-politician who recently joined India's main opposition Congress party, gestures during a campaign rally in Mumbai on April 11.
India elections

Indian election pulls in Bollywood stars

BJP and Congress field dueling actors to woo supporters as vote unfolds

29 April 2019
Prime Minister Narendra Modi with BJP's Asansol Lok Sabha candidate Babul Supriyo, wearing an orange scarf, during an election campaign rally in Kolkata on April 23.
India elections

Indian politician threatens voters with electric shock

Campaigning in India's monthlong election takes bizarre turn

25 April 2019
Indians shop for spray guns in March. Members of a merchants union stands at almost 70 million, and they are expected to be influential in the election.
India elections

India's mom-and-pop merchants lean toward Modi's BJP in election

Many in community of 70m see incumbent as best bet after bank-note ban and new tax

20 April 2019
Indian business is hoping that the next government is both business-friendly and proactive in tackling reform issues.
Business trends

What India Inc. wants from election: More growth, less red tape

Next government will be urged to ease regulations and support innovation

13 April 2019
People raise their hands as they chant slogans to show solidarity with Pakistan Armed Force in a rally Peshawar, Pakistan on March 1.
India elections

Relations with Pakistan to remain tense after India elections

Islamabad wary of Modi's intentions as both sides closely watch US reaction

12 April 2019
Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party has adopted a muscular nationalist plank.
Opinion

Modi's nationalist agenda put to the test at the polls

BJP and Congress both tout economic populism but divide over India's political identity

11 April 2019
India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses a campaign rally in the state of Gujarat on April 10.
India elections

Modi's economic record under scrutiny as India goes to polls

Despite fastest growth among major nations, voters concerned about unemployment

11 April 2019
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and chief of India's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Amit Shah, display copies of their party's election manifesto for the April/May general election in New Delhi.
India elections

Modi vows to make India world's No. 3 economy by 2030

Ruling party promises $1.4tn infrastructure push in election manifesto

9 April 2019
There is much injustice in India and a minimum income guarantee scheme called NYAY (the Hindi word for justice) is an imperative.
Opinion

India needs Rahul Gandhi's minimum income scheme to fight poverty

Economic growth will keep costs manageable while tech advances will aid implementation

8 April 2019
An election campaign rally of Bahujan Samaj Party in 2016. The party formed an alliance with former rival in January.
India elections

Modi's BJP bumps into regional opposition in India's election

Alliance of former rivals reaches out to Muslims and lower castes in Uttar Pradesh

7 April 2019
Monetary policy easing began in February under Reserve Bank of India Governor Shaktikanta Das, who is considered to be closely aligned with the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Economy

India cuts rate again as election approaches

Central bank's second move in three months seen giving boost to Modi's BJP

4 April 2019
Poverty reduction should be a central but not the only issue.
Opinion

Gandhi's universal income pledge cannot end Indian poverty

Election promise strikes a chord but is doomed on cost and political grounds

3 April 2019
Bollywood actor Vivek Oberoi appears at the launch of the trailer in Mumbai last week for the movie “PM Narendra Modi: Story of a Billion People,” in which he appears in the title role.
India elections

Movie glorifying Modi raises controversy ahead of India’s election

Opposition parties say aim of biopic on prime minister is to influence voters

28 March 2019
Rahul Gandhi, president of India's main opposition Congress party, addresses his party's supporters during a public meeting in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, India on March 12.
India elections

India's opposition pledges $52bn in handouts to woo Modi voters

Gandhi's bold 'final assault' on poverty draws mixed response from economists

26 March 2019
© Nikkei montage/Source photos by Reuters, Getty Images
Asia Insight

India airstrike on Pakistan hits Gandhi's election hopes

Family dynasty struggles to overcome Modi's knack for reading national mood

26 March 2019
The debate assume significance as they have come just before India's seven-phase general elections from Apr. 11 to May 19.
India elections

Indian debate intensifies over government stats before elections

Economists question credibility, chartered accountants rebut 'baseless' concerns

22 March 2019
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, right, and main opposition Indian National Congress President Rahul Gandhi
India elections

India elections to begin April, as resurgent Modi faces Gandhi heir

Kashmir airstrikes give ruling BJP a boost, with contrasting foreign policies on the line

11 March 2019