ISAS Briefs

After a national election that was held in nine phases over several weeks there is something of a poll fatigue in India. But the electoral cycle never really ceases in India and there is hardly a month that goes by without an election of some sort. The latest round of elections held on 21 August was not part of the normal electoral cycle, but one necessitated by either the death of an incumbent or the seat having been vacated for some other reason. What made the by-elections significant was that 18 seats spread across the states of Bihar, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka went to polls. The results, announced on 25 August, were disappointing for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which will soon complete 100 days in government at the Centre. The BJP and its allies won eight seats while the Congress and regional parties won 10.