The US media sees the Bihar electoral verdict as a big political setback for Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his push for economic reforms.
The defeat in Bihar means that “Modi will enter the winter session of Parliament without the political momentum he craved to force through major overhauls of taxation, labour rules and land use that he sees as critical to accelerating India’s growth and attracting more foreign investors”, wrote The New York Times.
It noted that the loss of Bihar “also deprives the BJP of a vital location from which to spread its political dominance into northeast India, including the large State of West Bengal”.
Calling Nitish Kumar a formidable opponent who did the unthinkable by teaming up with long-time rival lalu Prasad to defeat Modi, the paper wrote in a dispatch from New Delhi, “The two men, masters of manipulating caste politics, have run Bihar for the past 25 years, and they gleefully portrayed Modi as a globe-trotting elitist outsider who had consistently failed to deliver on his big promises.”
Several American newspapers dealt with the possible implications for Modi’s economic reforms. The Washington Post noted that the Bihar outcome may embolden his opponents and “shrink his political space for bold economic measures”.
The Bihar defeat does not affect Modi’s business-friendly Government nationally, The Post wrote, but noted that it would be viewed “as a sign of voter disenchantment with his 17-month-old rule and a wake-up call for the Prime Minister”.
At the same time, the paper conceded that the Modi Government has changed global perception about the Indian economy, citing India’s recent advance in the World Bank’s ease of doing business ranking, and the World Economic Forum’s comment that India’s future is positioned more favorably than China’s.
The Wall Street Journal also wrote that the political blow in a pivotal State could make it harder for the Modi Government to move ahead with its economic agenda.
“The loss threatens to dent confidence in Modi, whose promises of rapid development have made him India’s most popular national leader in decades,” the paper noted.