Prime minister defeated in West Bengal as voters send message over handling of coronavirus crisis
India’s prime minister has suffered a rare political defeat in a key state election, amid signs of a voter backlash over his handling of the country’s coronavirus disaster as the country recorded a record number of deaths.
Narendra Modi had been expected to make significant gains on Sunday in West Bengal, one of few states where his rightwing Bharatiya Janata party (BJP) does not have a parliamentary majority. Instead, Mamata Banerjee, a powerful regional politician and prominent Modi critic, won a third term as chief minister.
