Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi won a thumping victory in state elections, cementing a hold on power that some experts had started to doubt.

Modi’s disappointing showing in nationwide polls two years ago had seemingly signaled the beginning of the end of his rule. But his BJP’s overwhelming win in a key eastern state, one it had never secured, represents “a political earthquake” which “extends the hegemonic power of the party,” analysts said.

Yet some critics argued that Modi unfairly leveraged the power of the federal government in the polls and opponents took relief from the BJP’s failure to win concurrent state elections in southern India, which remains “beyond its reach.”