evidence: Welcome to Foreign Policy’s South Asia Brief. The highlights this week: Karnataka emerges as a potential battleground state as India’s national election continues, farmer groups in Pakistan threaten to protest over a government decision to import wheat, and Nepal hosts Japan’s foreign minister. [...] According to Vasu, Congress draws support from the poor and from women in Karnataka—two key groups the BJP has targeted in this year’s campaign. Congress’s inroads with poor voters suggest that one of its core national strategies—pushing for more support for lower-caste communities—is paying off in the state. The BJP rejects the affirmative action policies and related measures embraced by Congress.