Gujarat Assembly poll results are being followed even more closely by political analysts as this time the election in the state has been touted as a dress rehearsal of the Lok Sabha elections 2019.

Moreover, the BJP was circumspect during the campaigning in Gujarat as firstly it feared losing support of the Patel community which Hs been agitating, demanding reservation, and also due to anti-incumbency, since the party has been ruling in Gujarat for over two decades now.  

However, in unpleasant news for the Congress, almost all exit polls have predicted a clean sweep for the BJP in both Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh.

The Assembly election results of Gujarat and Himachal have become a battle of prestige between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the newly appointed Congress President Rahul Gandhi. Even if the BJP manages to save Gujarat with a smaller victory margin, it would still be considered as a defeat for the party as Gujarat is the home state of the Prime Minister and is considered as a fortress of the BJP.

While winning less than 100 seats in Gujarat will severely dent Narendra Modi's credibility, a bad showing for the Congress would be an inauspicious start or Rahul Gandhi as the Congress President.

Counting of votes began at 8 am in the morning and early trends are available with us. The final results are expected to be declared by today evening for both the states.