Shekhar Gupta: Saffron shrinks but Hindutva wins

BJP is ruling fewer large, important states now but its big Hindutva ideas have won and face little opposition across the country

Like the proverbial “half-full or half-empty” glass, you can look at the much-discussed India Today Group graphic showing the comparative swathes of saffron on the political map of India between 2017 and now. At first glance, the graphic tells you that the BJP’s reign over Indian states has declined from 71 to 40 per cent in these two years — just when you thought the party had reached its peak of popularity and unassailable domination under Narendra Modi.

This, however, is the “half-empty” perspective. The half-full view is: Draw a similar map with the Lok Sabha results of last May.