Narrow win saves the day for Modi
gandhinagar — The ruling BJP was on Monday set to retain power in Gujarat, just edging past the halfway mark in one of the most bitterly contested elections that saw the Congress improve its tally compared to five years ago.
Election Commission officials said the Bharatiya Janata Party, on course for its sixth consecutive win, had bagged 95 seats while leading in four seats in the 182-member assembly. The Congress won 75 seats and was leading in two for a possible total of 77, compared to 61 in the 2012 elections.
Smaller parties and independents had won three seats and were leading in three.
While the BJP celebrated all across Gujarat and in Delhi, the 99-seat tally was far less than the 150 BJP President Amit Shah had set for the party to win and 16 less than what it got in 2012 despite intense campaigning by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The Congress, its campaign led by its now President Rahul Gandhi, was poised to finish with a tally of 77, 16 more than what it bagged five years ago.
Outside Parliament, a beaming Modi flashed a V sign to celebrate the victory in his home state. Senior BJP leaders taunted Rahul Gandhi and said the result proved that the people had embraced the Gujarat model of development.
But the BJP’s overall vote share in the state plunged from 60.11 per cent notched in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls to 49 per cent, indicating a sharp erosion in support base in a state which the party considers its fortress.
The vote share of the Congress, which joined hands with Patidar leader Hardik Patel, Dalit leader Jignesh Mevani and OBC leader Alpesh Thakore, soared from 33.45 per cent of 2014 to 41.5 per cent. Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Smriti Irani brushed aside reports of BJP’s waning support, saying the winner was always the king. “Jo jeeta wo hi Sikander.” As the vote count began across Gujarat at 8am, at one point the Congress leads went past the BJP’s, giving a scare to the ruling party and sending the stock markets plunging down.
The BJP, however, managed to recover lost ground and eventually went past the half-way mark of 92 seats needed to control the 182-member House.
All Congress Chief Ministerial contenders lost — Shaktisinh Gohil (Mandvi), Arjun Modhwadia (Bokhiria) and Siddharth Patel (Dabhoi). —
Leave behind what happened, forget who did what and let’s come together and unite. Not a single Gujarati is separate from us. Join hands once again. Narendra Modi, PM
The Congress party accepts the verdict of the people and congratulates the new governments in both states. I thank the people of Gujarat and Himachal with all my heart for the love they showed me. Rahul Gandhi, Congress president
Politics of dynasty, casteism and appeasement has lost... This is the beginning of the new era of performance-based politics. Amit Shah, BJP president
It is a matter of happiness for us. This is the victory of development... Jo jeeta wohi sikandar (the winner is king). Smriti Irani, Information and Broadcasting Minister
People all over the world have appreciated the Gujarat model but Congress has raised questions. This is a lesson for the Congress and the opposition parties. Yogi Adityanath, Uttar Pradesh CM
I feel this is a victory of our issue-based campaign. We see the results that way. No matter who forms the government, this is a moral victory for the Congress. Ashok Gehlot, Congress’s Gujarat in-charge