Pakistan, Nov. 6 -- Voting for the two-stage Bihar assembly elections begins today (Thursday), in a contest viewed as pivotal for the survival of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's minority government. The 243-seat state legislature holds outsized political importance, as Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's Janata Dal (United) party remains a crucial pillar of Mr Modi's National Democratic Alliance (NDA).

Following the 2024 general elections, the BJP's seat count dropped to 240-well short of the 272 needed for a simple majority in the Lok Sabha. The support of Nitish Kumar's JD(U) with 12 MPs and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu's Telugu Desam Party (TDP) with 16 MPs gives the NDA a fragile majority. Any electoral setback for ...