Modi positioned to extend rule well into next decade after West Bengal victory and opposition losses

Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party won a West Bengal state election and saw opponents lose in Tamil Nadu and Kerala, extending the BJP's reach beyond its northern strongholds.

Modi, 75, is following a strategy aimed at restoring the BJP's parliamentary majority in a national vote due by mid-2029, which would make him India's longest-serving leader.

The victories follow Modi's setback in a national election in summer 2024, when his decade-long rule appeared at risk of ending.