Defections help election prospects of India's pro-Hindu party
Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Banerjee faces a tough challenge from the BJP in West Bengal
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A vendor waits for customers at his stall selling decorative items ahead of Christmas celebrations in Siliguri, West Bengal, on Dec. 22. The state has seen legislators from Trinamool Congress defect to the BJP. (Photo: AFP)
The political one-upmanship being acted out in India is unique, and it only gives a much sharper edge to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's pro-Hindu Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
The recent mass defections in Trinamool Congress, a regional party in West Bengal state in eastern India, marks the weakening of its secularist leader Mamata Banerjee, who has been steadfastly opposing Modi's policies.