Across the pond, the NYT quoted Shekhar Gupta as a summing up of the results, with the tag line “Mr. Modi is beatable.” The article went on to say: “The defeat also means that Mr. Modi will enter the winter session of Parliament without the political momentum he craved to force through major overhauls of taxation, labor rules and land use that he sees as critical to accelerating India’s growth and attracting more foreign investors. The loss also deprives the B.J.P. of a vital location from which to spread its political dominance into northeast India, including the large state of West Bengal. The battle for Bihar, fought through five rounds of voting over the past five weeks, played out against a raging national debate over whether Mr. Modi’s India is becoming increasingly intolerant of secularists, Muslims and political dissent in general. According to the police, four Muslims were attacked and killed by mobs of Hindus in the past six weeks because they were suspected of stealing, smuggling or slaughtering cows.”

The Wall Street Journal called the BJP’s defeat “a political blow that could make it harder for his government to move ahead with its economic agenda.” “The loss threatens to dent confidence in Mr. Modi, whose promises of rapid development have made him India’s most popular national leader in decades. It also sets the stage for wrangling with an emboldened opposition that will likely further delay economic policy-making and hurt Mr. Modi’s efforts to take control of Parliament’s Upper House and clear roadblocks to his agenda,” WSJ said. “Also in doubt is how the BJP will proceed with its social and cultural agenda, which has drawn renewed attention because of the Bihar campaign and the reaction of party leaders to recent religiously motivated killings.”

The Washington Post stated that the election results could be a “significant blow to Modi’s popularity.” “The result of the five-phase vote conducted over three weeks in the impoverished northern state of Bihar does not affect Modi’s business-friendly government nationally, but many here view it as a sign of voter disenchantment with his 17-month-old rule and a wake-up call for the prime minister,” an article stated. The WSJ equated the Bihar results with the Indian PM, saying, “The BJP’s election campaign relied almost entirely on Modi’s image, making little room for local leaders. Modi addressed 30 large public meetings in the state and renewed his pledge to bring development, a promise that propelled him to power last year.” “In recent months, though, Modi has come under widespread attack for not reining in members of his government and party who have made inflammatory statements after a Hindu mob killed a Muslim man over false rumors that he had consumed beef. To many Hindus, cows are sacred, and eating beef is taboo. Moody’s Analytics said in a recent report that Modi may lose his “domestic and global credibility” if he fails to curb the strident Hindu rhetoric of his party members and that the divisive political atmosphere may present a bigger challenge for his government and turn national attention away from economic policies,” the article said.