As Congress loses Haryana despite exit polls predicting comfortable win, analysts warn of tough days ahead for party.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s party pulled off a surprise victory in a closely-watched contest in Haryana state, giving a boost to the ruling party after a setback in national elections earlier this year and bolstering its prospects ahead of other regional polls.

The BJP is in the lead in the state of Haryana which borders the capital Delhi, but trails in the federal territories of Jammu and Kashmir, which are seeing their first election results in a decade. The first local elections in India since Mr Modi’s party lost its outright majority in parliament,

India will provide over ₹6,300 crore to the Maldives amid a foreign exchange crisis, aiming to strengthen bilateral ties and launch a trade agreement.