Delhi, a territory that includes India’s seat of government New Delhi, has long been an elusive political prize for Modi. While the BJP holds all of the parliamentary seats in Delhi, which has a population of about 22mn and is governed by the populist Aam Aadmi party, it has not controlled its legislative assembly for almost three decades.

A head of India’s budget on February 1st, Narendra Modi asked Lakshmi, the Hindu goddess of wealth, to bless the poor and the middle class. The prime minister’s request for divine intervention mingled public spirit with political self-interest: frustration about economic growth and joblessness contributed to Mr Modi’s loss of his outright majority in elections held last year.