• Winning Bihar, 3rd most-populous state, with nearly 130m people crucial.
• Modi’s coalition well ahead of majority mark of 122 seats in Bihar.
• Result would be boost for Modi after national vote setback in 2024.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ruling coalition is set to comfortably retain power in the poor and populous state of Bihar, a vote count showed on Friday, giving him a boost after a disappointing national vote last year.

Winning Bihar is crucial because it is India’s third-most-populous state with nearly 130 million people and it sends the fifth-highest number of lawmakers to Parliament. Control of the eastern state strengthens any party’s power in the Hindi heartland and often helps to shape national political narratives.

Modi’s National Democratic Alliance coalition could easily cross the majority mark of 122 seats, with data from the Election Commission of India showing it was leading in more than 170 seats. TV channel NDTV said it was ahead in 191 seats, a potential gain of 69 seats from the last election.

“Bihar’s mandate is clear!” Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party said on X. “The people have made it clear — now development is the identity. Not jungle raj, good governance is needed!”

The Bihar outcome would mark a sharp reversal for Modi, who lost his parliamentary majority in last year’s national elections and had to lean on allies to remain in power. Since then, his party has steadily regained ground, winning several key state contests.

Political analysts have said one of the key factors in the Bihar election was Modi’s September transfer of ₹75 billion ($853 million) to millions of women in the state under an employment programme.

Women voters across India have turned out in greater numbers over the past decade and political parties have competed to attract them. Previously, men easily outnumbered women at India’s polling stations.

Political analyst Amitabh Tiwari, who travelled across Bihar during the election — which was held in two phases on November 6 and 11 — said it was “just the women” who were set to give Modi a better result than what he received the last time.

According to a survey this week by Tiwari’s VoteVibe agency, Modi’s alliance secured 48.5% of the female vote, more than 10 percentage points higher than the main opposition bloc.

States including Assam, West Bengal and Tamil Nadu are due to go to the polls next year. Of those states, the BJP is in power only in Assam.

Iran and Qatar on Thursday expressed serious concern over the ongoing tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan, urging regional countries to play a constructive role in maintaining peace and stability.

The statement came during a phone call between Iran’s Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi and Qatar’s Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdullah Al Thani.

“The foreign ministers of Iran and Qatar, while expressing concern over tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan, stressed the importance of continued regional efforts to preserve peace and stability in the area,” said a statement issued by Iran’s foreign ministry.

Bilateral relations between Islamabad and the Taliban-led administration in Kabul have deteriorated following two major terrorist attacks in Pakistan in recent days—one at Cadet College Wana in South Waziristan and another in Islamabad.

Tuesday’s suicide bombing targeted the Islamabad District Judicial Complex, killing 12 people and injuring at least 36 others, including lawyers and petitioners present at the court building.

The attack coincided with Pakistani forces clearing Cadet College Wana in South Waziristan, eliminating all Fitna al-Khawarij militants—a term used for the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan—who had infiltrated the educational institution.

The statement added that Araghchi and Thani also discussed bilateral ties and regional developments, emphasizing the importance of strengthening cooperation in all areas of mutual interest.

Additionally, the two leaders exchanged views on the situation in Gaza and the recent US draft resolution submitted to the UN Security Council, highlighting the need for continued consultations to safeguard the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, particularly their right to self-determination.

Russia, Iran push for continued Pak-Afghan talks

On November 12, Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and his Iranian counterpart Seyed Abbas Araghchi exchanged views on the latest bilateral and regional developments.

They welcomed the agreement reached between the Taliban administration in Kabul and Islamabad — mediated by Qatar and Turkiye — on a mutual ceasefire and an end to cross-border firing along the Pak-Afghan borders.

Lavrov and Araghchi called for continued dialogue between Pakistan and Afghanistan to resolve differences through political and diplomatic means, in the interests of ensuring regional stability and security.

They also discussed developments in the Middle East, particularly the Palestinian–Israeli issue and its consideration at the UN Security Council.

The two ministers reaffirmed their mutual commitment to the unconditional implementation of the Treaty on Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between Russia and Iran, which entered into force on 2 October.

• Kyiv suffers citywide strikes with air defences engaged.
• Energy and rail systems targeted alongside homes.
• Fires and damage across eight city districts.

KYIV: Almost every district in Kyiv came under “massive” attack Friday morning, the Ukrainian capital’s mayor said, with a death reported hours after AFP journalists heard explosions in the city centre.

Moscow, which launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, has intensified its attacks on infrastructure, particularly targeting Ukrainian energy facilities and rail systems, as well as residential areas, in recent months.

Missiles and drones were targeting critical infrastructure in the capital on Friday, said Mykola Kalashnyk, the head of the Kyiv regional military administration.

Mayor Vitaly Klitschko called it a “massive enemy attack”, saying air defence forces were in operation.

One person was killed and at least 15 wounded in the attack, according to the Ukrainian emergency services, which added that “more than 40 people have been rescued” from fires and destruction across the city.

Earlier, Klitschko reported fires or damage to buildings in eight of Kyiv’s 10 districts, saying medical emergency teams were deployed to all of them.

He said a pregnant woman was among those hospitalised as well as a man in “extremely serious condition”.

“Sections of heating networks were damaged,” he wrote on Telegram, with some buildings in northeastern Desnyansky district temporarily left without heat.

Electricity and water supplies could also be disrupted, he added.

AFP journalists saw tracer bullets used against drones and several anti-missile systems deployed.

“Russians are hitting residential buildings. There are a lot of damaged high-rise buildings throughout Kyiv, almost in every district,” Tymur Tkachenko, the head of the city’s military administration, wrote on social media.

Entrenched war

The attack comes as Kyiv’s Western allies ratchet up pressure on Russia.

On Wednesday, Canada unveiled new sanctions targeting Russia’s drone and energy production, as well as infrastructure used to launch cyberattacks.

G7 foreign ministers that day called for an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine, voicing “unwavering” support for the country’s territorial integrity.

And the European Commission is considering using part of Russia’s assets frozen after its invasion to provide Kyiv with a loan for budgetary and military support over the next two years.

But after almost four years of war, both sides are heavily entrenched with Moscow rejecting ceasefire calls and efforts by US President Donald Trump to revive a long-stalled peace deal.

Russian forces have been grinding across eastern Ukraine for months, trying to take control of the Donetsk and Lugansk regions.

Russia said Monday it had captured three more villages along the sprawling front line, where it is pressing its advantage in manpower and equipment.

Experts say Russia’s latest strikes on energy infrastructure are putting Ukraine at risk of heating outages ahead of the winter months.