India ruling party gain in state elections

INDIA’S ruling Hindu nationalist party wrested control from the opposition in three of four state legislatures, according to election results yesterday.

Winning the elections would be a major coup for Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, since his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its allies have won just four major state elections since he was elected in 1998.

The Election Commission said Bharatiya Janata led in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, which were previously controlled by the opposition Congress party. Congress was ahead only in the state of New Delhi.