India, Oct. 10 -- Ties between India and Germany have been on the upswing over the past several years; in recent months, there has been a push to deepen defence industrial cooperation and technology exchange. The India visit of the German chief of defence, Carsten Breuer, last week underlined efforts on military cooperation and strategic engagement. Given this new round of cooperation - against the backdrop of Trump-injected uncertainty - was nurtured on the German side by a centre-Right dispensation in Berlin, India has watched electoral developments in Germany with keen interest.

Rarely have state elections in Germany, such as those held in September in Saxony-Anhalt, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, and Berlin, generated such an interna...