India: Modi still looks likely to win – BNP Paribas

According to Johanna Melka, analyst at BNP Paribas, Narendra Modi’s term as India’s prime minister has been broadly positive economically.

Key Quotes

“In the last five years, he has pushed through some important reforms, taking advantage of his majority in the lower house of Parliament. However, to achieve a significant increase in GDP per-capita and reduce India’s vulnerability to external shocks, it is necessary to carry out further reforms in order to create a more conducive environment for domestic and foreign investment.”

“The latest polls suggest that no party could win a majority in the lower house of Parliament in the general election scheduled for April and May. Mr Modi’s party still looks likely to win the most seats, but could be forced to govern alongside the Congress Party. That could make it harder to implement reform and weaken the public finances.”