High on win, Modi backers eye Delhi

The drums came out early at the BJP office. In fact, just after 10 am, when the trends started trickling in. By noon, the air was rent with slogans which said it all: “Gujarat toh jhaaki hein, Delhi abhi baaki hein", Prasad Nichenametla reports. In a nutshell

The drums came out early at the BJP office. In fact, just after 10 am, when the trends started trickling in. By noon, the air was rent with slogans which said it all: “Gujarat toh jhaaki hein, Delhi abhi baaki hein".

The ruling party might not have expanded its tally by much, but the distance between Ahmedabad and Delhi appears to have shrunk.

"I wish he becomes the PM. The development that Gujarat has witnessed should spread to other places," said home-maker Madhu Verma, 30, a homemaker living in Maninagar, the chief minister’s constituency.

Moditva was the reigning cult — the BJP, as a party, had few to cheer it.

Thirty-one-year-old Vimal Mishra, an activist of BJP youth wing BJYM (Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha) volunteered to explain: “Modi is BJP, BJP Modi.”

The Congress camp wore a dejected look since Thursday, the eve of counting. The Rajiv Gandhi Bhavan, which was buzzing with activity even a few days ago, stood dark and silent.

The party spokespersons were hard put to explain what went wrong.

“We were able to educate the people, but failed to agitate them,” said Congress spokesperson Manish Doshi, pointing to the campaign on health and housing. He added, “We also failed to retain our core constituency — the SCs, STs and the Muslims.”