The News
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, whose party lost its majority in recent elections, is getting a bitter taste of coalition politics. His government was forced to withdraw an ad for merit-based federal jobs after allies objected to the plan’s lack of affirmative action for marginalized groups. It’s the latest in a series of recent government reversals: “Earlier [Modi’s party] could do what they wanted, but now no longer,” a political expert told Nikkei. “It’s a compulsion [of coalition politics].”
Meanwhile, Modi’s popularity rating dropped below 50% for the first time in response to a question about who is best suited to be India’s next leader in a Mood of the Nation poll, with one political scientist pointing to high unemployment as a major pain point for Indians.