Modi’s alliance set to easily win Indian Hindi heartland vote

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ruling coalition is set to comfortably retain power in the poor and populous state of Bihar, a vote count showed on Friday, giving him a boost after a disappointing national vote last year.



Winning Bihar is crucial because it is India's third-most-populous state with nearly 130 million people and it sends the fifth-highest number of lawmakers to Parliament. Control of the eastern state strengthens any party's power in the Hindi heartland and often helps to shape national political narratives.



Modi's National Democratic Alliance coalition could easily cross the majority mark of 122 seats, with data from the Election Commission of India showing it was leading in more than 170 seats. TV channel NDTV said it was ahead in 191 seats, a potential gain of 69 seats from the last election.



Political analysts have said one of the key factors in the Bihar election was Modi's September transfer of 75 billion rupees ($853 million) to millions of women in the state under an employment programme.