India: Two Major States Turn Saffron, Sort of

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has emerged victorious in two Indian state elections, one of which was key to the prime minister and to the party. On Dec. 18, officials announced the BJP won 99 seats in Gujarat in the west, where 92 seats would be sufficient to govern. But the BJP appears to have lost support in the state overall: In 2012, it won 116 seats, while in the 2014 national elections it won all of the 26 seats available. In northern Himachal Pradesh, meanwhile, the BJP looks to have won the state from the opposition Indian National Congress (INC), with BJP candidates winning 44 of 68 seats. Together, these results are a decisive victory and another step toward the BJP's stated goal of turning India saffron -- the party's color....