Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to visit state of Uttarakhand
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit the state of Uttarakhand today.
Located in northern India, Uttarakhand is a religious center for Indian Hindus. Modi will visit the Kedarnath, a famous Hindu shrine in the state while his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will host events at numerous other temples throughout the state.
Modi’s visit is meant to garner support for the BJP ahead of state elections in 2022. The party has heavily emphasized infrastructure development in the state under their rule, totaling almost $114 million. His presence at Kedarnath sparked threats of protest by local priests over loss of rights to a new government oversight board, which could have harmed BJP’s image as a Hindu nationalist party.
Expect the BJP to win the Uttarakhand elections next year because the party’s incumbents there have invested in road and rail infrastructure and energy development, ensuring access to gas and electric power needed for homes and agricultural modernization. Likewise, they will likely continue this investment to promote economic growth and quality-of-life improvements. Medium-term, positive developments in Uttarakhand will likely give the BJP good optics in national politics as concrete results provided by local victories boost their popularity, translating to national elections victories.
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