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Bhupendra breaks Narendra's Gujarat record; Congress wrests Himachal Pradesh from BJP
Election Results 2022: Winning 156 of the 182 seats in the Gujarat assembly means it was the BJP's biggest-ever victory in the state. In Himachal Pradesh, the Congress won 40 of the 68 seats at stake followed by the BJP, which bagged 25.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), as all exit polls predicted, on Thursday retained power in Gujarat for a record seventh straight term, riding high on the charisma of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. But it lost JP Nadda's, BJP national president, home state Himachal Pradesh to the Congress after a close fight, as the hill state continued with its tradition of nearly four decades in voting out the incumbent party.
Winning 156 of the 182 seats in the Gujarat assembly means it was the saffron party's biggest-ever victory in the western state. The BJP, under chief minister Bhupendra Patel, for whom Hindutva remained a political strategy, got support from all sections. It garnered a vote share of nearly 53 per cent which was the highest for the party in Gujarat.
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The BJP, which bagged 99 seats in 2017 assembly election with a 49.1 per cent vote share, surpassed its previous best showing of 127 seats in 2002 when Modi was the chief minister. Congress holds the all-time record of 149 seats that it had won in 1985 under the leadership of Madhavsinh Solanki.
Congress's worst-ever defeat in Gujarat
With only 17 seats, the Congress has suffered its worst-ever defeat in Gujarat but wrested power from the BJP in Himachal Pradesh, a mixed-bag result for the grand old party that not only faces a rampaging BJP but an ambitious Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) vying for the leadership of the Opposition going forward on the road to the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
Also Read | Gujarat poll results: BJP's huge win. How it fared in 2022 compared to 2017
As Modi continued to hold sway over voters and addressed 31 election rallies in Gujarat, the BJP also checkmated the new entrant AAP in the first-ever triangular contests in the state and pushed the Congress down to its all-time low.
Bhupendra Patel to remain CM
Gujarat state BJP president CR Patil said Bhupendra Patel, the party's 60-year-old soft-spoken face in the state, would remain as the chief minister and his swearing-in ceremony will be held on December 12. Bhupendra Patel won the Ghatlodia seat in Ahmedabad by a huge margin of 1.92 lakh votes.
Modi ‘overcome with lot of emotions’
Modi said he was overcome with a lot of emotions on the "phenomenal election results" in Gujarat. He lauded party workers in the state, saying each of them is a champion. "This historic win would never be possible without the exceptionally hard work of our Karyakartas, who are the real strength of our party."
At the party event, Modi said Gujarat has broken all records and created history.
AAP gets national party status: Arvind Kejriwal
With a nearly 13 per cent vote share, the Arvind Kejriwal-headed AAP won only five of the 181 seats it contested. In a video message, the Delhi chief minister said though the AAP has not won many seats the votes the party got helped it attain the national party status. The AAP also called its showing impressive.
Prominent losers
Journalist-turned-politician Isudan Gadhvi, who was AAP's chief ministerial face, and Gopal Italia, the party's state president, were among the prominent losers from the party camp.
Several state leaders of the Congress party including its former leader of opposition Paresh Dhanani lost. However, its senior-most leader in the state, Arjun Modhwadia won while firebrand Dalit leader Jignesh Mevani reversed early losses to post a victory.
Prominent winners
Patidar leader Hardik Patel, Alpesh Thakor and cricketer Ravindra Jadeja’s wife Rivaba Jadeja were among the prominent winners for the BJP.
Congress back in power in Himachal Pradesh
In Himachal Pradesh, the Congress won 40 of the 68 seats at stake followed by the BJP, which bagged 25. Independents won three seats.
The AAP, which had fielded candidates in 67 seats, failed to make a debut and had a meagre vote share of 1.1 per cent.
Congress leaders in Himachal Pradesh credited its general secretary Priyanka Gandhi for its win which came as a boost for the grand old party.
CM Jai Ram Thakur resigns
Chief minister Jai Ram Thakur, who won for the sixth time from Seraj assembly seat in Mandi district, said he respects the mandate of the people and submitted his resignation to governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar.
Anti-incumbency against the BJP government and the issue of price rise coupled with the Congress promising restoration of the old pension scheme and providing ₹1,500 to every adult woman in the state seemed to be the main factors that worked in favour of the Congress.
With the BJP slogan of 'Raj nahin, riwaaj badlenge' (changing tradition and not the government) being rejected by voters, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi thanked the people for the "decisive win" and assured them that every promise made by the party will be fulfilled.
Senior Congress leader Anand Sharma said the Congress victory will have resonance and ripple effect in the poll-bound states next year.
Pratibha, Sukhu, Agnihotri lead race for CM face
State Congress president Pratibha Singh is considered a key frontrunner for the chief minister's post, closely followed by former party chief Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu and outgoing CLP leader Mukesh Agnihotri.
Though Pratibha Singh did not contest the assembly election and is not an MLA, she had campaigned extensively across the state. Singh is currently the Mandi MP after she won in the bye-election from outgoing chief minister Jai Ram Thakur's home district.
She also carries the legacy of former chief minister Virbhadra Singh, who steered the Congress in the state for over four decades.
Pratibha Singh's son Vikramaditya has been elected as an MLA from Shimla rural and is also among the hopefuls, even though many consider him too young for the top post.
The other CM aspirants are Sukhu, an MLA from Nadaun, and Agnihotri, who was elected from Haroli. Both are hopeful that the party high command would recognise their work as former PCC chief and as Congress Legislature Party leader.
Agnihotri claims that he put forth the party's position strongly in the state assembly as CLP leader in the state assembly and opposed its decisions and highlighted BJP's "misgovernance" during the last five years. Agnihotri is a Brahmin leader, while Sukhu hails from the dominant Thakur community in the state.
