BJP in tight races in Assam and West Bengal

BJP in tight races in Assam and West Bengal Polling for state legislatures began on Monday in the states of West Bengal and Assam where Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bhartiya Janata party (BJP) is in close races with Congress and other regional parties (BBC, Reuters). Opinion polls show the BJP will lose in Assam, further weakening Modi's position in the parliament. Last year, BJP was unsuccessful in Bihar which led to their failure in pushing through Modi's economic reform agenda such as the General Sales Tax bill. In the eastern state of West Bengal, polling shows the regional Trinamool Congress party, led by the state's chief minister Mamata Banerjee, will be successful.