BJP bids to retain power in Karnataka

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi faced a key test yesterday as the only southern state where his Hindu nationalist BJP party holds power went to the polls a year before national elections. The BJP has applied its muscular brand of Hindu politics to Karnataka as it attempts to make further inroads in the south of the country of 1.4 billion people, where other parties have long held sway. Last year, the government banned the hijab in Karnataka government schools, stoking sectarian tensions. Results from the state election are due on Saturday. Karnataka's most recent election in 2018 saw the BJP emerge as the top vote-getter but fall short of securing a ruling majority in the state.