(LiveMint)
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday won the Gujarat elections—its fifth straight win in the state—but not without a struggle. Its final seat tally of 99 seats was the lowest in nearly two decades and the first time since 1998 that it slipped into double digits. No doubt, it was enough to ensure a simple majority and seal a fifth consecutive victory for the BJP, whose campaign was led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Over 2012, the BJP has lost 16 seats while the Congress has gained 19 seats in the 2017 Gujarat elections. Not only does this put the performance of the BJP in Modi’s home state under scrutiny, it is bound to bolster the morale of the Congress party, now under the leadership of Rahul Gandhi. A look at the final seat tally as put out by the Election Commission after Gujarat election results:
Party | Seat Tally |
BJP | 99 |
Congress | 77 |
Others | 06 |
Total | 182 |