Prime Minister Narendra Modi will lead his party’s celebrations at his Delhi headquarters this evening at 6 pm. The BJP appears to have done its best ever result in Gujarat, where the Prime Minister held more than 30 rallies in the last few weeks of his party’s campaign. As of 10 am, BJP is inching toward 150 seats. This is a record result not only for the BJP but for the state; This bested the previous landmark of 1985 when Congress led by Madhavsinh Solanki won 149 seats.
The Congress has been miniaturized to 20 seats, down nearly 60 from the last state election 5 years ago. The Aam Aadmi Party is likely to get 6 seats, believing the fraud around the party in the PM’s home state, and in defiance of an extensive campaign by its chief, Arvind Kejriwal.
In Gujarat, the main opposition Congress lost 20 seats, nearly 60 fewer than in the last state election five years ago. The Aam Aadmi Party, or AAP, could win six seats, defying the campaign around the party in the prime minister’s home state and the massive campaign of its chief Arvind Kejriwal.
Naturally, the Prime Minister was the BJP’s star campaigner. The party’s seventh straight win in Gujarat broke the latent anti-incumbency talk.
BJP has not lost Gujarat since 1995. PM Modi was the Chief Minister for 13 years before being elected to the top post of the country in 2014. In the last state elections, it won 99 seats. Till date, its best result in Gujarat was in 2002 when it won 127 seats.
Despite critics pointing to rising inflation, unemployment and growing religious polarization, Prime Minister Modi is widely popular, partly because of economic growth and because of his strong base among Hindu voters.
In Himachal Pradesh, BJP and Congress were neck-and-neck for 68 assembly seats. The BJP is said to have started talks with both the Congress in hopes of overturning them, and four independents who are likely to win their seats.