(PTI)
The BJP won the Gujarat assembly polls for a record sixth straight victory today, and was set to evict the Congress in Himachal Pradesh, tightening the party’s grip over the country’s politics with general elections only 18 months away.
The Gujarat results turned out to be a seesaw, with BJP and Congress running neck and neck in the morning. At midday, BJP pulled ahead, and by 6.30 p.m., it had won 95 seats while leading in four seats in the 182-member assembly.
The result _ with a likely final tally of 99 seats for BJP_ was not as grand as the saffron party had expected. Party leaders had aimed for 150-plus seats, but faced a tough challenge from a resurgent Congress led by Rahul Gandhi, as well as young Patidar and Dalit leaders Hardik Patel, Alpesh Thakor and Jignesh Mewani.
The Congress won 75 seats and was leading in two for a possible total of 77, compared to 61 in the 2012 elections. “This is double joy for me,” said Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a former Gujarat chief minister, in a victory speech at the BJP headquarters in New Delhi.
He said he was happy that his successors continued the development work which he had spearheaded during his nearly 13- year tenure as the chief minister.”I once again offer the hardworking party workers many congratulations. This is not an ordignary victory,” he said. In an earlier tweet, Modi said: “I assure (people of Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh) that we will leave no stone unturned in furthering the development journey of these states and serve the people tirelessly.” Gandhi in a tweet said his party “accepts the verdict of the people and congratulates the new governments in both states.”
