Gujarat election results: Celebrations at BJP offices include drum beats, fireworks and Gujarati snacks
Ahmedabad/Shimla: The BJP is set to win Gujarat again, but by a decidedly lower margin of victory than last time in a close contest with the Congress. The party is leading in more than the 92 of Gujarat's 182 assembly seats that it needs for a majority, but has slipped under 100 in later rounds of counting. In Himachal Pradesh, however, the BJP has a sweeping victory, snatching another state from the Congress. BJP chief Amit Shah arrived a short while ago at the party's Delhi office to join celebrations. "This win is due to hard work of the countless workers of the BJP and PM Modi's pro-people policies," Mr Shah said.
Here is your cheatsheet to the results of 2017 Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh elections:
- Till about 9.30 on Monday morning as votes were counted in the Gujarat assembly elections, the BJP and Congress were neck and neck. The BJP then pulled ahead leading in over 100 seats for hours before falling below that psychological mark. It is now leading in 98 seats, down 17 from last time, while the Congress is leading in 81, up 20.
- In Himachal Pradesh the BJP is leading in 44 of the state's 68 assembly seats, but its chief ministerial candidate PK Dhumal is trailing in the Sujanpur Lok Sabha constituency. The BJP had deviated from its strategy in recent state elections by naming a presumptive chief minister. A party needs 35 seats or more to form government in Himachal.
- In Gujarat, almost 2 per cent of the voters chose the "none of the above" (NOTA) option, effectively rejecting candidates across the political spectrum. That's higher than the shares of all other parties apart from the BJP or Congress.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said that the election results in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh "indicate a strong support for politics of good governance and development. I salute the hardworking BJP Karyakartas in these states for their hardwork which has led to these impressive victories."
- Amit Shah drove up to the BJP office, standing on the footboard of his SUV as hundreds of party workers showered him with flower petals. Celebrations at BJP offices in Delhi and other parts of the country include drum beats, dancing, fireworks and Gujarati snacks.
- BJP leaders have dismissed suggestions that the lower numbers in Gujarat are a setback. "Jo jeeta wahi sikandar (Winner takes it all)," said union minister Smriti Irani. "Victory is victory," said her cabinet colleague Prakash Javadekar, adding, "The people chose development, not dynasty."
- It was a reference to Rahul Gandhi, who took over as Congress chief two days ago from his mother Sonia Gandhi. The Congress has said it views the Gujarat result as a gain for its better performance. "The Congress' tally has gone up there, while the BJP's numbers have fallen. This is the start of Rahul Gandhi's political story," senior Congress leader Kamal Nath told reporters outside Parliament.
- The BJP has lost ground in rural regions of Gujarat's Saurashtra region, but also trailing in a few seats in north and central Gujarat that it had won in the 2012 election. The party has been in power in the state for the last two decades and is seen to have fought off today a considerable build-up of an anti-incumbency sentiment.
- Analysts have called the Gujarat election a pivotal moment, a contest important not only for the state but also national politics. A win today will give the BJP added momentum in the run-up to the 2019 national election after its sweep of Uttar Pradesh earlier this year.
- Winning Gujarat, his home state, is also a matter of prestige for Prime Minister Narendra Modi. In a bitterly fought battle versus Rahul Gandhi, the Prime Minister made the election more about Gujarati pride and less about issues like development and economic policies raised by the new Congress president.
