India, May 10 -- The central political question for 2029 is whether the BJP, which fell short of a single-party majority in 2024, can once again cross the magic figure of 272 seats.

The Bharatiya Janata Party's historic victory in the West Bengal Assembly election is not merely the fulfilment of a 75-year-old aspiration. Inscribed upon this victory flag-mounted on a chariot symbolically driven from northwest to eastern India-are coded signals pointing toward the party's ambitions for the 2029 Lok Sabha elections. The Assembly results in Odisha, Bihar, Bengal and Assam have not only unsettled opposition parties but also surprised seasoned political analysts. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his closest strategist, Union Home Minister Amit...