I would like tentatively to share the insights of Ms. Katherine Hadda, an adjunct fellow (non-resident) to the Wadhwani Chair in U.S.-India Policy Studies at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, D.C.
Given current disagreements over a response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the outcome of next week’s 2+2 talks between India and the United States are likely to reveal a lot about whether there are limits to the growing bilateral cooperation the two countries have seen over the past few years.
Yet some clues to the direction of the relationship were already revealed by India’s five recent state elections.
With 28 states and eight union territories, 22 official languages, and 54 recognized state-based political parties, it can be daunting for Americans to follow Indian state-level politics.
Yet it is worth tracking closely.
The role of the states and their political and policy trajectories are critical not only for India’s governance, but also for the growth and sustenance of U.S.-India ties.
