(MENAFN- Live Mint)

From shifting power dynamics within the National Democratic Alliance in Bihar as the state undergoes polls, to the impact of US tariffs on merchandise trade, declining domestic air passenger traffic, and India's historic women's cricket World Cup triumph-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 secured 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 in 2005 and 2010. However, a turning point began to emerge in 2020, when the BJP contested only five fewer seats than the JD(U) but displayed a better win rate. This led to an equal partnership this year, with both parties contesting 101 seats each. The battle for 243 assembly seats started with the first phase of the polling on Thursday.

Also Read | Women voters may hold the key again in Bihar, and Nitish Kumar knows

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 UK (11.9%), Bangladesh (21.9%), and Spain (150.8%), among others. But the US-previously a growth engine-pulled overall growth down by 4.2 percentage points, as exports plunged 12% due to President Donald Trump's additional 25% levy, which came into effect on 27 August. The US share in India's exports fell from a recent high of 24% in June to just 15% by September. Most sectors, especially labour-intensive ones such as gems and jewellery, glassware, textiles, ready-made garments, and carpets, suffered a massive hit from the US' trade policies.

Mixed momentum

India's 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. The HSBC services purchasing managers' index (PMI) fell to 58.9 in October from 60.9 the previous month, though it was marginally higher than 58.5 in October 2025. While down from August's multi-year high, the index has remained above the 50-point threshold separating expansion from contraction for over four years, signalling the sector's sustained resilience. On the other hand, manufacturing activity gained momentum, driven by robust demand. The manufacturing PMI rose to 59.2 in October from 57.7 in September.

Also Read | India, US trade deal likely soon, huge tariff cuts on the hori

Number talks

Below 98%: The operating ratio Indian Railways expects to achieve in 2026-27, marking the first sub-98% figure in five years due to improved freight earnings and higher central funding, Min reported.

₹75,000 crore: The possible outlay for the Centre's Sagarmala 2.0 initiative to develop India into a global maritime hub over the next 10 years, Mint reported. This will complement the ₹70,000-crore package announced in September .

15%: The likely increase in allocation for the Centre's Special Assistance to States for Capital Investment (SASCI)-a 50-year, interest-free loan scheme-in the next fiscal year, Min reported.

$40 million: The funding Ferns N Petals is seeking from new investors in early-stage talks, with Ambit Capital appointed to manage the raise for the Lighthouse Funds-backed gifting platform, Min reported.

40%: The share of planes that IndiGo aims to own and have on finance lease by 2030, up from 18% currently, said chief executive Pieter Elbers in an interview with Mint.

Traffic turbulence

India's aviation sector is facing significant turbulence as domestic air passenger traffic has stagnated in recent months. A series of disruptions beginning with the India-Pakistan conflict in May, followed by the Air India crash in June, and heavy rainfall during June-August period have severely impacted its air traffic growth in 2025. Data from Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) shows that domestic passenger traffic slowed from about 14-14.7 million in the first five months of 2025 to 12.6 million in September. 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 then, recording its worst performance since the pandemic-hit months (January-February 2022) three years ago.

Also Read | Turbulence ahead: Why India's aviation recovery is losing altit

Historic triumph

India's women's cricket team beat South Africa by 52 runs and clinched their first-ever World Cup title earlier this week after a wait of nearly half a century. India's path to the final included a record-breaking 339-run chase against Australia in the semi-final, the highest successful run chase in women's ODI World Cup history. Since the inaugural edition in 1973, World Cup victories have been dominated by just a few countries: Australia leads with seven titles, England has won four, while New Zealand and India have claimed one. Deepti Sharma, with 215 runs and 22 wickets, became the player of the tournament-also a first for India. Earlier, India had reached the finals in 2005 and 2017.

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