Hindu nationalists win landslide victory in Indian elections

India's Hindu nationalists scored a resounding victory today in a closely watched state election that was widely seen as a crucial test amid persistent talk of early national elections.

The bitter campaign in Gujarat state - fought in the shadow of anti-Muslim riots that left more than 1,000 people dead in 2002 - had many predicting a close race between the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party and the Congress party, which heads the federal government.