A nagging doubt plagues world leaders wooing India: whose side is Narendra Modi really on? | Simon Tisdall

His cult-like status is likely to hand him victory in the coming elections, but at democracy's loss

Suddenly, everyone loves India. But it's an affair, not a marriage. Whether it lasts depends on the consequences of this week's watershed election. At stake are the credibility of Indian democracy and, potentially, the country's future as a cohesive unitary state.

Courting India as a counterweight to China, the US is ardently pursuing a deeper security relationship. The EU hankers after a free trade pact. Countries ranging from Australia to Norway to the UAE have already forged bespoke deals.

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