From shifting power dynamics within the National Democratic Alliance in Bihar as the state goes through the polls, to the impact of US tariffs on goods trade, declining domestic air passenger traffic and India’s historic triumph in the Women’s Cricket World Cup, here’s this week’s news in numbers.
Seat symmetry
Bihar remains one of India’s most politically significant states and one of the few in the Hindi heartland where the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has never won a majority on its own. This year’s polls represent a shift in the NDA in Bihar. The Janata Dal (United), or JD(U), has historically dominated the alliance, contesting nearly 50 more seats than the BJP between 2005 and 2010. However, a turning point began to emerge in 2020, with the BJP contesting only five fewer seats than the JD(U) but showing a better win ratio. This led to an equal partnership this year, with both parties contesting 101 seats. The battle for 243 representative seats started on Thursday’s first phase of voting.
Tariff blow
India’s exports rose 6.7% year-on-year in September, driven by strong gains in markets including the United Arab Emirates (24.3%), China (34%), Hong Kong (17.7%), the United Kingdom (11.9%), Bangladesh (21.9%) and Spain (150.8%), among others. But the U.S. — previously the engine of growth — pulled overall growth down 4.2 percentage points as exports fell 12% due to President Donald Trump’s additional 25% tax that took effect on Aug. 27. The US share of India’s exports fell from a recent high of 24% in June to just 15% in September. Most industries, especially labor-intensive ones such as gems and jewelry, glass, textiles, apparel, and carpets, have taken a massive hit from US trade policy.
Mixed momentum
Indian services activity slowed to a five-month low in October as growth in new business and output moderated amid weakening export demand and intensifying global competition. HSBC’s Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) fell to 58.9 in October from 60.9 the previous month, although it was marginally higher than the 58.5 in October 2025. Although down from August’s multi-year high, the index remained above the 50-point mark separating expansion from contraction for more than four years, signaling the sector’s continued resilience. On the other hand, manufacturing activity picked up, driven by strong demand. Manufacturing PMI rose to 59.2 in October from 57.7 in September.
Talk about numbers
below 98%: The operating ratio that Indian Railways expects to reach in 2026-27 is the first below 98% in five years on the back of better freight revenue and higher central funding, Mint said.
₹75,000 million: Possible spending on the Sagarmala 2.0 center initiative to develop India into a global maritime hub over the next 10 years, Mint said. This will complete ₹70,000 crore package announced in September.
15%: A likely increase in allocation for Special Assistance to States Center for Capital Investment (SASCI) – a 50-year, interest-free loan program – in the next fiscal year, Mint reported.
40 million dollars: Funding Ferns N Petals is seeking from new investors in early-stage talks, with Ambit Capital appointed to lead the raise for the Lighthouse Funds-backed gifts platform, Mint reported.
40%: The share of aircraft that IndiGo intends to own and finance lease by 2030 has increased from the current 18%, CEO Pieter Elbers said in an interview with Mint.
Traffic turbulence
India’s aviation sector is facing considerable turbulence as domestic air passenger traffic has stagnated in recent months. A series of disruptions starting with the India-Pakistan conflict in May, followed by the Air India crash in June and heavy rainfall between June and August have severely affected air traffic growth in 2025. Data from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) shows that domestic passenger traffic has slowed from around 14-14.7 million in the first five months of September in 2025 to 126 million Year-on-year growth slowed from 8-12% in January-April to just 1.9-3% in May-June and has now contracted for three consecutive months since, posting its worst performance since the pandemic-hit months (January-February 2022) three years ago.
A historic triumph
The Indian women’s cricket team beat South Africa by 52 runs to win their first ever World Cup title after almost half a century of waiting earlier this week. India’s run to the final included a record 339-run chase against Australia in the semi-final, the highest successful chase in the history of the Women’s ODI World Cup. Since the inaugural edition in 1973, only a handful of countries have dominated the World Cup: Australia leads with seven titles, England has won four, while New Zealand and India have claimed one each. Deepti Sharma, with 215 runs and 22 wickets, became the player of the tournament – also a first for India. Earlier, India reached the final in 2005 and 2017.
