Last week, the results of five assembly elections were announced and the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of Prime Minister Narendra Modi claimed impressive victories in four out of five contests—notching wins in Goa, Manipur, Uttarakhand, and Uttar Pradesh. 

In the state of Punjab, the upstart Aam Aadmi Party won a stunning victory that saw the demise of a whole slew of politicians with household names. The Congress Party, for its part, saw its fortunes diminish to an all-time low.

To discuss the drivers of these results—and the impact they have on politics and policy, this week Milan is joined by Sunetra Choudhury, national political editor of the Hindustan Times and a veteran political analyst. 

Milan and Sunetra discuss the fate of Mandal politics, the future of the Congress, and the position of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. Plus, the two discuss the political and policy impacts of these elections as India turns its attention to the 2024 general election.

1. Mirza Asmer Beg, Shashikant Pandey, and Shreyas Sardesai, “The BJP’s rock solid social coalition,” Hindu, March 12, 2022.
2. Rahul Verma, “Grand Old Party and Its Grand Illusions,” Times of India, March 13, 2022.