Bihar verdict boost? PM Modi’s win could help seal India-US trade deal, says report — here’s how

The landslide victory of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's party in the Bihar Assembly Elections 2025 is likely to chart a new path for the central government to make agriculture-related concessions while negotiating the bilateral trade agreement (BTA) deal, reported the news portal CNBC on Saturday, 15 November 2025.

The State of Bihar is a large producer of corn, which is expected to encourage the central government to conclude the trade deal with the United States, according to the report.

The American negotiators have been pressing for access to the Indian agricultural market, while India still holds its ground to protect the best interests of its farmers and people, being an agriculture-driven nation.

Any agriculture-related concessions or tariff cuts for imports into India will bring more purchases of agro products from the United States, reported the news portal, citing Amitendu Palit, senior research fellow and research lead at the Institute of South Asian Studies.

However, these purchases will be “couched in a manner that does not suggest that the government is going to back away on its commitment to domestic farmers,” said Palit, cited in the news portal.

Bihar Election Results 2025

Mint reported earlier, citing the Election Commission of India (ECI) data, that the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) secured more than 200 seats, which marks the majority in the 243-member Parliamentary Assembly.

NDA alliance led by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won 89 seats, while Nitish Kumar's Janata Dal(U) bagged 85 constituency seats in the Bihar Election Results 2025. The alliance secured a three-fourths majority in the 243-member House.

While the Mahagathbandhan, led by Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), bagged 25 seats, Congress won only six seats in the assembly elections.

India-US trade deal update, Trump tariffs

According to a recent report from the news agency ANI, another trade talk round between the United States and India may not be necessary, as both sides are engaged in discussions over sensitive issues and access to sensitive sectors.

The news portal's report also highlighted that the Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal, during his visit to the US in September, said that they have acknowledged ‘fresh offers’ which include buying corn to produce ethanol amid India's push towards ethanol-compliant vehicles.

So far, India and the United States have completed five rounds of official negotiations and are expected to finalise the first round of the BTA deal by the end of this year.

US President Donald Trump has imposed a total of 50% tariffs on all imports from India. The tariffs were imposed in two tranches, with the first 25% coming into effect from 1 August 2025, and the additional 25% became effective from 27 August 2025.