Heading for a two-thirds majority, the BJP has retained power in Gujarat for a record seventh straight term by winning or leading in 156 of the 182 seats with a vote share of nearly 53%. Riding on the charisma of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who addressed 31 election rallies in his home State and continued to hold sway over voters, the BJP steamrolled the Opposition that included the new entrant Aam Aadmi Party. The BJP surpassed its previous best showing of 127 seats in 2002 when Mr. Modi was the Chief Minister.
The counting of votes for 182 Assembly seats in Gujarat was held today. The polls were held in two phases with 89 seats voting on December 1, while the second phase of polling was held on December 5 in 92 Assembly segments. Gujarat registered a voter turnout of 64.33% for the recently-concluded elections, a drop of over 4% compared with the turnout registered in the last Assembly polls in 2017.
Here are the live updates on election results of Himachal Pradesh.
Here are the updates of the results:
BJP storms to power with historic mandate
For the BJP, this is a seventh consecutive victory for the party in the native state of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The party’s vote share also jumped to 52.5%. The BJP’s victory has also battered the previous Congress record of winning 149 seats in 1985 during the Madhavsinh Solanki era of Gujarat politics.
The BJP’s stupendous electoral performance stunned the opposition and even the party’s own members, sweeping cities and rural districts as triangular contests involving the BJP, the Congress and new entrant, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), catapulted the ruling party to power with unprecedented numbers.
The AAP’s entry into the State’s electoral politics, snagging five seats with an impressive vote share of around 13%, has ensured the decimation of the main opposition party, the Congress, which won just 17 seats and saw its vote share shrink to a mere 27.3%. The disastrous performance of the Congress can be gauged from the fact that it has drawn blank in almost 15 out of 33 districts, and has not won a single urban seat in cities like Surat, Vadodara, Rajkot, Jamnagar, Bhavnagar and Gandhinagar. - Mahesh Langa
‘Gujarat’s love for BJP is unprecedented, they have broken all records, written history’
“I bow before people, their blessings are overwhelming, “ PM Modi says in his address to BJP workers at the party headquarters in New Delhi. “Support to BJP shows people’s anger against dynasty rule and corruption rising,” he says. “Gujarat’s love for BJP despite it being in power for 25 years is unprecedented, they have broken all records, written history.”
The BJP’s win in Kurhani Assembly bypoll in Bihar is an indication of times to come in State, he says.
Gujarat CM Bhupendra Patel celebrates the win
BJP wins Jhagadia Assembly seat for first time; veteran tribal leader Chhotubhai Vasava loses
The BJP registered its first-ever victory in Gujarat’s Jhagadia Assembly seat, where its candidate Ritesh Vasava defeated heavyweight tribal leader and seven-time MLA Chhotubhai Vasava by 23,500 votes. Ritesh Vasava bagged 89,933 votes, while Chhotubhai Vasava secured 66,433 ballots.
Seventy-eight year old Mr. Chhotubhai Vasava lost to his one-time aide Mr. Ritesh Vasava in the Scheduled Tribes-reserved constituency in Bharuch district. This was for the first time the BJP has won this Assembly seat.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Congress stood at a distant third and fourth position, bagging 19,722 and 15,219 votes, respectively.
According to Election Commission (EC) figures, the tribal-dominated seat was represented in the Assembly by the Congress in 1962, 1967, 1972, 1975, 1980 and 1985. Since 1990, Chhotubhai Vasava had won the seat for seven straight terms as the candidate of the Janata Dal, the Janata Dal (United), as an independent and then as the nominee of the Bharatiya Tribal Party (BTP) which he founded. I
Anand Assembly seat back with BJP after 5 years
BJP candidate Yogesh Patel wrested the Anand Assembly constituency in Gujarat from the Congress with a comfortable margin of 41,623 votes.
He defeated sitting Congress MLA Kanti Sodha Parmar in Anand, known for the world famous Amul dairy brand. The Congress and the BJP were locked in a neck-and-neck fight in initial rounds of counting, but in the end the saffron outfit emerged victorious with a comfortable vote gap.
In 2017, the Opposition Congress had clinched the seat after a gap of 25 years. Mr. Parmar had bagged the Assembly segment five years ago by a little over 5,000 votes after three failed attempts.
Senior Congress leader Bharatsinh Solanki told PTI that the party will analyse the reasons for its defeat and take corrective measures. — PTI
BJP’s Kirtikumar Patel wins Unjha Assembly seat, trounces Congress candidate
Bharatiya Janata Party’s Kirtikumar Patel defeated Arvind Patel in Unjha Assembly segment in Gujarat by over 51,000 votes. While Mr. Patel polled 88,066 votes, the Congress candidate bagged 36,845 votes. Aam Aadmi Party’s Urvish Patel got 18,060 votes.
Unjha, known as Asia’s spice capital, was a prestige seat for the BJP as Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s hometown Vadnagar falls under it.
The Congress won this seat in 2017 polls after 45 years on the back of Patidar agitation.
The BJP fielded Kiritkumar Patel, a Patidar and also an RSS functionary considered close to Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat against Congress candidate and local businessman Arvind Patel, while AAP made the contest triangular by nominating 31-year-old Mr. Urvish Patel, who recently returned from New Zealand and joined politics.
The seat is dominated by the Patidar community which has shifted back to BJP in big numbers this time, with the quota row now confined to history. The low profile image of soft spoken and affable Kirikumar also worked in the BJP’s favour. — PTI
Gujarat rejected politics of revadi, appeasement and hollow promises: Amit Shah
Senior BJP leader and Union Home Minister Amit Shah said the people of Gujarat have given an unprecedented mandate to the party by rejecting those who do politics of hollow promises, freebies and appeasement.
In a series of tweets, Mr. Shah said he salutes the people of Gujarat on this historic victory and it shows the “unwavering faith of the public in Narendra Modi’s development model”.
“In the last two decades, under the leadership of Modi ji, the BJP broke all records of development in Gujarat and today the people of Gujarat have blessed the BJP and broken all records of victory,” he said.
“Gujarat has rejected those who do politics of hollow promises, revadi (freebies) and appeasement and given an unprecedented mandate to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s BJP, which worked for public welfare and development,” Mr. Shah said. — PTI
Gujarat poll verdict does not reflect nation’s mood: Sharad Pawar
Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) president Sharad Pawar said the verdict of the Gujarat Assembly election was on expected lines, but it doesn’t reflect the mood of the nation.
Addressing the NCP’s State executive meeting, Mr. Pawar said, “The Gujarat verdict is on expected lines as the entire power machinery was used for the benefit of one particular state and projects were shifted there.” “The Gujarat results don’t reflect the mood of the country. The results of the civic polls in Delhi and Himachal Pradesh Assembly, where the BJP has been defeated prove that,’‘ the former Union Minister said. — PTI
We accept our defeat: Congress
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Gujarat Pradesh victory: “We accept our defeat in Gujarat and welcome our victory in Himachal Pradesh. We shall continue our fight. No victory or defeat is permanent. We will not leave our principles and this is an ideological battle. We shall analyse and try to overcome our shortcomings.”
Meanwhile, Rahul Gandhi tweeted: “We humbly accept the mandate of the people of Gujarat. We will reorganise, work hard and continue fighting for the ideals of the country and the rights of the people of the State.”
Overcome with a lot of emotions: PM Modi
PM Modi tweeted: “Thank you Gujarat. I am overcome with a lot of emotions seeing the phenomenal election results. People blessed politics of development and at the same time expressed a desire that they want this momentum to continue at a greater pace. I bow to Gujarat’s Jan Shakti,”
“To all hardworking @BJP4Gujarat Karyakartas I want to say - each of you is a champion! This historic win would never be possible without the exceptional hardwork of our Karyakartas, who are the real strength of our Party,” he added.
BJP supporters celebrating the Victory in Gujarat Assembly Election at the BJP headquarters in New Delhi on December 8, 2022. | Photo Credit: R.V. Moorthy
BJP wins tribal-reserved Vyara seat by trouncing four-time Cong MLA
BJP candidate Mohan Konkani wrested the Scheduled Tribe (ST) seat of Vyara in Tapi district of Gujarat by defeating four-time Congress MLA Punabhai Gamit, who was pushed to the third position due to an impressive show put up by new entrant Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).
The Vyara Assembly seat, which gave Gujarat its first tribal Chief Minister Amarsinh Chaudhary, for the first time witnessed a contest between two Christian candidates fielded by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the opposition Congress. Mr. Gamit, who currently represented this Assembly segment, had won the Assembly polls four times in a row starting from a by-election in 2004.
BJP’s Konkani won by a margin of 22,760 votes over his nearest rival from the AAP, Bipin Chaudhari. Mr. Konkani polled 69,024 votes, while Mr. Chaudhari received 46,264 votes. Congress’ Gamit bagged 43,718 votes.
Mr. Gamit was banking on the works he did in his constituency as an MLA and the traditional support that the party enjoyed in the region. The BJP successfully attempted to woo the tribal voters by showing a number of development projects carried out by the ruling party in the eastern belt of Gujarat. The entry of AAP damaged Gamit’s prospects of winning the seat for the fifth term. — PTI
Gujarat Congress in-charge resigns after party’s defeat
Gujarat Congress in-charge Raghu Sharma has resigned taking moral responsibility of the party’s defeat in the State Assembly polls, party office-bearers said. Mr. Sharma had led the so-called ‘silent campaign’ against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and new poll entrant Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in the State.
“Taking moral responsibility for the unexpected defeat, Sharma has resigned as in-charge of the state Congress,” sources in the Gujarat party unit said. State Congress president Jagdish Thakor is also likely to follow soon, they added.
Gujarat Congress spokesperson Manish Doshi said despite the party’s hard work, the loss was unprecedented. “We will take stock of the situation,” he said. — PTI
Congress wins Danilimda despite splitting votes with AAP
The Congress party won the Muslim and Dalit-dominated Danilimda Assembly segment in Ahmedabad city, despite the AAP and the AIMIM cutting into its votes and the BJP putting up a strong fight. Sitting Congress MLA Shailesh Parmar won by defeating his nearest rival, BJP’s Nareshbhai Vyas, by a margin of 13,525 votes. Mr. Parmar polled 68,906 votes compared to 55,381 votes cast in favour of Mr. Vyas.
Danilimda emerged as a high-profile seat as the BJP and the Congress locked themselves into a prestige fight, with the saffron camp pulling out all stops to wrest the seat that it has never won since it came into existence in 2012 following delimitation.
Despite a three-cornered contest that followed the AAP’s entry into the fray, the Congress managed to win Danilimda, which a Scheduled Caste (SC)-reserved urban Assembly seat. It has around 2,65,000 registered voters, of whom a third each are Muslims and Dalits. The remaining are from Patel and Kshatriya communities.
Mr. Parmar, who is also the Congress party’s deputy leader in the outgoing Gujarat Assembly, has been winning the seat since 2012. In 2012 and 2017, he had won by a margin of around 32,000 votes and 14,000 votes respectively. — PTI
Jignesh Mevani, Thakor Geniben Nagaji secure Vadgam and Vav respectively
Jignesh Mevani, prominent Dalit activist and Congress working president, wins from Vadgam seat. He defeated his rival candidate Manibhai Jethabhai Vaghela of BJP by a margin of 4,035 votes.
Mr. Mevani is a social activist turned politician in Gujarat, who contested and won the Vadgam Assembly seat in 2017 as an independent candidate. Hailing from a Dalit family, Mevani is perceived as a leader for Dalit rights. He spearheaded the protest march called Dalit Asmita Yatra from Ahmedabad to Una following the deadly attack on Dalit men in Una village by so-called “Gau Rakshaks”.
Another prominent OBC leader Thakor Geniben Nagaji wins from the Vav seat.During the recently concluded election, Vav Assembly seat recorded a voter turnout of 68.71% compared to the 81.22% recorded in 2017 elections.
Both Mr. Mevani and Mr. Nagaji are sitting MLAs and have won again.
AAP’s CM candidate Isudan Gadhvi fails to strike chord with the masses
Isudan Gadhvi, 40-year-old journalist-turned-politician and AAP’s CM candidate, who contested from Khambhalia seat, lost to BJP’s Ayar Mulubhai Hardasbhai Bera, who polled 10% more votes than the AAP leader.
Mr. Gadhvi bagged the maximum votes during an opinion poll by his party to emerge as AAP’s chief ministerial face in Gujarat Assembly polls, but failed to garner enough votes to make his and his party’s debut in Gujarat politics eventful.
Mr. Gadhvi entered politics just a year back, in June 2021, and joined the AAP. He was appointed as the party’s national joint general secretary and was declared as AAP’s CM candidate by party chief Arvind Kejriwal in November this year. During the month-long whirlwind election campaign, Mr. Gadhvi was the party’s star campaigner along with Mr. Kejriwal and Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann. — PTI
Bommai says Gujarat result will inspire BJP in Karnataka, Siddaramaiah says otherwise
The landslide victory of BJP in Gujarat has triggered war of words in another poll-bound State.
Terming the result of the Gujarat Assembly elections as a historic victory for the BJP, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said that the result is a morale booster that will inspire BJP workers to work harder in Karnataka.
“The results will have positive impact for BJP in Karnataka. If we work well and together, our performance will be better,” the Chief Minister said in Bengaluru on December 8.
However, his predecessor Siddaramaiah felt the Gujarat outcome will not have any bearing in Karnataka.
He told reporters in Mysuru that the victory of the Congress party in Himachal Pradesh was proof enough that the election in Gujarat has no impact on the outcome of polls in other States.
“The problems and issues will be different in each State. In Karnataka, the BJP Government is most corrupt, and the Congress party is organisationally very strong,” he added.
AAP has become a national party: MP Sanjay Singh
AAP leaders Sanjay Singh, Gopal Rai and others address the media after the AAP became a national party, at party headquarters in New Delhi on December 8, 2022. | Photo Credit: R.V. Moorthy
“In 10 years, the AAP has become a national party. The AAP got so many votes in Gujarat that it has now become a national party. In Gujarat, people have given 35 lakh votes to the AAP till now and have made AAP a national part,.” AAP MP Sanjay Singh said on Thursday.
“Election results in Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, and by-election in Uttar Pradesh show that political winds are changing in the country,” he added.
Analysis | The reason behind BJP’s record breaking victory in Gujarat, close defeat in Himachal Pradesh
The BJP’s record-breaking victory in Gujarat, five years after it barely scraped a majority in the Assembly is largely due to the lessons the party learnt from that hard scrabble fight in 2017, while its close defeat in Himachal Pradesh showed that the micromanagement the party brought into play in Gujarat, was absent in the hill State.
Nistula Hebbar analyses the outcomes of both the Assemble elections.
Gujarat CM to take oath on December 12, says State BJP chief Patil
Press Conference by CR Patil with CM Bhupendar Patel in Gandhinagar. | Photo Credit: Vijay Soneji
State BJP Chief CR Patil in a press conference said Gujarat CM will take oath at 2 p.m. on December 12. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah will take part in the oath ceremony.
Mr. Patil said that other parties were trying to fool people and have gotten a befitting reply. “It’s a victory of good governance and development of BJP Government at Centre and Gujarat. All anti-Gujarat forces have been defeated by people of State.”
Gujarat CM Bhupendra Patel proclaimed victory and said the results of Gujarat elections are quite clear. “People have made up their minds to further continue with the journey of development in Gujarat. We humbly accept the mandate of the people. Every worker of BJP is committed to public service,” he said.
Biggest credit for Gujarat’s victory goes to people’s trust in PM Modi: Rajnath Singh
Senior BJP leader and Union Minister Rajnath Singh credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s popularity and his credibility for the party’s historic win in the Gujarat Assembly polls.
The BJP is set for a landslide victory in Gujarat to retain power for a seventh straight term and is likely to break previous records by winning the highest number of seats in any Assembly election in the State.—PTI
AAP CM candidate Isudan Gadhvi trailing, BJP’s Hardasbhai leads
Aam Aadmi Party chief ministerial candidate Isudan Gadhvi, who is contesting the Gujarat Assembly polls from Khambhalia, is trailing from his seat against his BJP opponent who is leading with a margin of 14,761 votes in the latest trends.
According to the latest trends by the Election Commission till 12.50 p.m., Gadhvi secured 35,785 votes with 30.23% vote share while BJP candidate Hardasbhai Bera got 48,862 with 41.28% votes. Congress candidate Ahir Vikrambhai Arjanbhai Maadam got 28,158 votes with 23.79% vote share.—ANI
Too early to speak now: Kharge on Gujarat, Himachal election results
As trends in the assembly elections of Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh indicate a victory for BJP in the former and lead for Congress in the latter, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge on Thursday said that it is too early to make comments and the party will respond when final results are declared.”It is too early to speak now. Our party will speak in the evening only after the final results are declared,” Mr. Kharge told reporters.—ANI
Brand Modi towers above all else, puts BJP on course to record tally in Gujarat
The sway Prime Minister Narendra Modi has on the Gujarati consciousness has put the BJP on the path to possibly achieving the best-ever tally for any party in the State Assembly polls, reducing to insignificance people’s perceived discontent with issues like inflation and local leadership.
Bjp supporters outside L.D. College in Ahmedabad during the counting of votes for 182 Assembly seats in Gujarat. | Photo Credit: Vijay Soneji
In his barnstorming campaign across the State in which he addressed 31 rallies and led three road shows, Mr. Modi travelled through various regions of his home state, urging voters to make “Bhupendra break the records of Narendra”, an exhortation for a higher tally for the Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel-led government than what he had got while helming the Sate for nearly 13 years.
And it is evident that voters have listened to him.
BJP could surpass its previous best showing of 127 seats in 2002 when Mr. Modi was the chief minister.—PTI
Celebrations begin for BJP leaders and workers as the party takes decisive lead
CM Bhupendra Patel, BJP State chief to reach party office as trends show massive lead
Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and State BJP chief CR Paatil will arrive at the party office in Gandhinagar shortly.
Both the leaders left for Kamalam after the latest trends suggested the party returning to power with a thumping majority.
Meanwhile, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) opened its account with two wins as the counting progresses in the Gujarat Assembly polls.—ANI
AAP has penetrated PM Modi’s bastion: Sanjay Singh after party leads on 6 seats in Gujarat
After the latest trends showed the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leading on six seats in the Gujarat Assembly polls, Sanjay Singh on Thursday said that the party has penetrated into the “bastion of the BJP” and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
He also thanked the people of Gujarat for enabling the Arvind Kejriwal-led outfit to become a “national party”.
Calling Gujarat a “lab” of the BJP, Singh said that the AAP has “penetrated” the fort.
“The people of Gujarat have made AAP a national party. We will get nearly 15 per cent vote share in this election. Gujarat is the bastion of PM Modi and Amit Shah. Gujarat is a lab of the BJP. The BJP has been in power in Gujarat for 27 years and intruding that fort was not an easy job. AAP has penetrated into the bastion of the BJP,” Singh said while speaking to the media here accepting defeat in the Gujarat Assembly polls.—ANI
BJP leaders and workers dance as they celebrate the party’s decisive lead in Gujarat Assembly elections in Gandhinagar. | Photo Credit: PTI
Jignesh Mevani trailing in Vadgam
Firebrand Dalit leader and Vadgam’s sitting MLA Jignesh Mevani of the Congress party was trailing his nearest rival from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, early trends showed.
After four rounds of voting, Mevani had polled 15,455 votes, trailing BJP’s Manibhai Vaghela by 3,361 votes. If the trend persists, it would be a major setback to the Congress party as Mevani has emerged as one its most prominent leaders in the State after formally joining the party earlier this year.
Mevani had won Vadgam in 2017 as an independent candidate supported by the Congress party. His rival, Vaghela, is a turncoat who switched from Congress to BJP after he was denied ticket in 2017. He held the Vadgam seat from 2012 to 2017.—PTI
BJP records win in Dahod and Petlad
BJP’s Bachubhai Kishori wins Dahod Assembly seat in Gujarat, defeating Congress rival Harshad Ninama by 29,350 votes. In Petlad, the BJP candidate Kamleshbhai Patel defeated Congress’ Prakash Budhabhai Parmar by 17,954 votes.
The party is currently leading on 151 seats, while the Congress is ahead on 20 seats and the AAP on 6 seats—The Hindu
AAP leads in two ST reserved seats, four others
The Aam Aadmi Party was leading in six seats, as per the latest Election Commission data. AAP was leading in two Scheduled Tribes reserved seats Dediapada and Bhiloda, while it was also ahead in Jamjodhpur, Dhari, Botad, Gariadhar. —Mahesh Langa
25% votes counted: Is AAP performing better in urban than rural areas in 2022 Gujarat elections?
With counting underway, performance in rural and urban seats shows a party’s sphere of influence in Gujarat. In 2017, the BJP aquired close to 60% of the urban votes. With AAP fielding a candidate in nearly every seat this year, will the BJP be able to dominate in urban seats, once again?
With 25% of votes counted, the trend so far shows that BJP’s vote share in urban areas has increased by 7% points. With the BJP dominating the urban vote share in 2022, it continued to lead/win in a significant number of urban seats like it did in 2017.
PM Modi congratulates CM Bhupendra Patel
Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel for a landslide victory of BJP in Gujarat. The latest counting data from the Election Commission shows BJP ahead on 149 seats.—Mahesh Langa
BJP candidate C.K. Raulji leading in Godhra
Bharatiya Janata Party candidate C.K. Raulji was on Thursday leading over his Congress rival Rashmitaben Chauhan after eight rounds of counting of votes in Godhra Assembly seat of Gujarat.
BJP leader C.K. Raulji. Photo: Twitter/@CkRauljiMla
Raulji was ahead by more than 25,000 votes over Chauhan in the communally-sensitive Assembly seat of Godhra, where the burning of a train had triggered one of India’s worst post-Partition riots 20 years back.
Raulji has been representing Godhra since 2007 as Congress MLA from 2007 to 2016 and as a BJP legislator since 2017.
Godhra, where communal fissures still persist and where voting takes place largely on religious lines, has around 2,79,000 voters. Of these, 72,000 are in the Muslim-dominated area.—PTI
Congress leader Paresh Dhanani appears headed for shock defeat in Amreli
Congress leader Paresh Dhanani, who has won the Patidar-dominated Amreli Assembly constituency in three elections appeared headed for a shock defeat as early trends showed he was trailing his rival from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) by more than 5,600 votes.
Paresh Dhanani. | Photo Credit: Prashant Nakwe
BJP’s Kaushik Vekariya, who heads the party’s district unit, had polled 13,322 votes at the end of four rounds of counting of votes. The corresponding figure for Dhanani was 7,638, while the AAP’s candidate, Ravi Dhanani had polled 6,000, according to data from the Election Commission.
The early trends underscored how the AAP’s entry into Gujarat’s poll arena was hurting Congress. The Congress party had swept all the five seats in Amreli district in 2017 and the impressive score had catapulted Dhanani to become the leader of opposition in the State Assembly following the elections.—PTI
25% votes counted: How close are the Gujarat 2022 Assembly election results?
The 2017 Gujarat election was a close affair with the winner in more than 30 seats getting decided by a win margin of less than 2.5% votes. Are the 2022 polls also turning out to be similar? Early trends, with just 25% of the votes being counted, show that that is not the case this year.
Right now, the BJP is leading/winning in 56 seats by a margin of >30%. Last time the BJP had managed to do so only in 18 seats.—The Hindu
Party doesn’t matter in Kutiyana, ‘Godmother’ matters
If trends can be converted as wins, Samajwadi Party is likely to open account in Gujarat. Kandhal Jadeja is leading in Kutiyana seat.
Kandhal Jadeja, Samajwadi Party Candidate from Kutiyana. | Photo Credit: Vijay Soneji
It is more to do with the popularity of the candidate than the party. Kandhal Jadeja is the son of Santokben Sarmanbhai Jadeja, the late don whose story got a Bollywood retelling as Shabana Azmi’s “Godmother”.
Santokben won from Kutiyana in 1990. Her son Kandhal now represents the seat. It doesn’t matter which party he contests from, he wins. In 2012 and 2017, he won from NCP ticket. He switched to SP after NCP denied him a ticket since he voted for BJP candidate in 2020 Rajya Sabha polls despite NCP supporting Congress.
In an earlier interview to ANI, Kandhal said: , “My mother, father and uncle all were MLAs from Kutiyana and used to work for the poor. They worked for all the communities of the society.”
When asked if people will vote for him out of fear or love, given his family background, Jadeja said, “If you had you asked me this in ‘80s-’90s, I would have said - out of fear. There was a ballot paper then. Now there is EVM. People vote for me due to my work. Everyone here knows me as I have spent my entire life here and here I have a big family. This is my mother’s village.”—ANI
BJP leads in Morbi constituency
The BJP was leading in the Morbi constituency by a substantial margin with 42,548 votes against the Congress which was placed second with 23,328 votes. The Aam Aadmi party was at the third position with 8147, according to the Election Commission’s update at 11:30 a.m.
In October, the Morbi bridge collapse, in which 141 people died, had created a huge political storm in the State, with the Opposition parties cornering the ruling BJP. Yet, despite its scale, the tragedy has not created the political favourability that the Opposition parties were hoping for. —The Hindu
Jignesh Mevani in neck-to-neck competition with BJP candidate in Vadgam
Congress leader Jignesh Mevani. | Photo Credit: Sandeep Saxena
Congress leader Jignesh Mevani was in a minor lead from Vadgam constituency. Mevani has secured 26,294 votes as compared to BJP candiate Manibhai Vaghela’s 25874 votes. The AAP candidate was at a distant third with 2014 votes.
Mevani joined the Congress in 2021. Before joining the Congress, he had said he had respect for its ideology and joining the party “will give more strength in fighting against the BJP in the coming Assembly election and the 2024 Lok Sabha election.” In 2017, Mevani had defeated BJP candidate Vijay Chakravarti by 19,696 votes.—The Hindu
Alpesh Thakor in lead from Gandhinagar South
BJP leader Alpesh Thakor | Photo Credit: The Hindu
OBC leader Alpesh Thakor is leading from Gandhinagar South constituency with a little above 35000 votes, according to the Election Commission data. Congress candidate Himanshu Patel was in the second position with 26568 votes while AAP was at a distant third with 1937 votes.
The former Congress leader had joined BJP this year in July. A prominent OBC leader of Gujarat, Mr. Thakor described the BJP as a party of “disciplined workers” and said it was difficult for him to work for his community when he was in the Congress.—The Hindu
“Surprising results will come in favour of Congress in Gujarat” party state-in-charge as BJP leads in initial trends
With the initial trends pointing at the return of the Bharatiya Janata Party government in Gujarat, Congress state in charge Raghu Sharma on Thursday expressed hope of having “surprising” results for this party.
Speaking to ANI, Sharma said, “Surprising results will come in favour of the Congress party. BJP will not be seen in reality. Wait for the final results.”
Tribal heavyweight, BTP founder Chhotu Vasava trailing in Jhagadia seat
Veteran tribal leader and founder of the Bharatiya Tribal Party (BTP) Chhotu Vasava was trailing after three rounds in Jhagadia seat in Bharuch district as counting of votes in the assembly elections commenced Thursday morning.
Bharatiya Tribal Party (BTP) founder Chhotubhai Vasava with Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. | Photo Credit: ANI
His one-time aide and BJP candidate Ritesh Vasava was ahead by over 6,000 votes.
Chhotu Vasava (78) contested this seat as an independent candidate this time after his son Mahesh Vasava entered the fray as the BTP candidate, but later withdrew his candidature.
Be it any party’s wave, Chhotu Vasava has held on to his bastion firmly, contesting either as an independent or a candidate of Janata Dal, Janata Dal (United) or the BTP.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Prime Minister Narendra Modi had canvassed for Ritesh Vasava, which showed the kind of importance the saffron party had attached to this seat.—PTI
BJP’s CM face Bhupendra Patel heads for a repeat victory
Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel.
Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel is heading for a second straight win from the urban constituency of Ghatlodia, where he had taken a comfortable lead of almost 20,000 votes over his nearest rival after five rounds of vote counting.
As per the latest update from the Election Commission, Patel had polled 23,713 votes, compared to 3,840 votes polled by his Congress rival Amiben Yagnik. AAP candidate Vijay Patel was running third with 2,168 votes.
Patidar-dominated Ghatlodia, which is part of the Gandhinagar Lok Sabha constituency, has given Gujarat two chief ministers - Bhupendra Patel and Anandiben Patel. It is a stronghold of BJP.—PTI
Gujarat model being accepted by people, says Pralhad Joshi; Rajnath Singh lauds pro-incumbency in State
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi said that Gujarat model is being endorsed and accepted by people since 2000-2001. “The model that we’re presenting before the nation is being accepted. I congratulate the people and BJP of Gujarat. It’s one of the biggest ever record in polling history,” he said.
Meanwhile, Defence minister Rajnath Singh said that there is pro-incumbency in Gujarat. We are creating a new record in Gujarat as the people of the state have immense faith in PM Modi.—ANI
AAP’s CM candidate Isudan Gadhvi leading by 6000 votes
Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) chief ministerial candidate for the Gujarat Assembly elections Isudan Gadhvi. | Photo Credit: PTI
AAP’s CM candidate Isudan Gadhvi leading by 6000 votes after 5th round from Khambhalia seat.
The 40-year-old TV journalist turned politician is the national joint general secretary of the AAP and was its main campaigner in the State. He is from the Saurashtra region and belongs to the Gadhvi community, which falls in the OBC category in the State. He hails from a modest family of farmers. In Gujarat, Gadhvis are mainly farmers and cattle-rearing communities in Saurashtra, North and Central Gujarat districts.—Mahesh Langa
After counting of 10% votes, Aam Aadmi Party’s vote percentage stands at 13%
AAP’s overall vote percentage stood at 13% in early trends after the counting of 10% votes. The AAP is gaining votes in seats where the Congress losing its vote share and the BJP is gaining. AAP’s voting percentage in such seats stood at 12.3%.
However, in seats where the BJP is losing vote percentage and the Congress is gaining, the Aam Aadmi Party’s vote percentage stood at 2.8%.—Vignesh Radhakrishnan
Hardik Patel leads in Viramgam constituency
BJP’s Hardik Patel was leading in Viramgam Assembly constituency in early counting. The sitting Congress MLA from the constituency slipped to the third position as AAP took the second slot.
After trailing for a while, Patel had taken slender lead of 2,371 votes over Thakor at the end of four rounds of counting. Vote count in favour of Patel stood at 14,304 votes, compared to 11,933 votes for Thakor. The sitting MLA of Viramgram, who hails from Congress party, was seen coming a distant third, with 3,921 votes in his bag
Given the nature and caste composition of the Viramgam seat, it was never easy for 29-year-old Hardik Patel to get the voting arithmetic right. There are an estimated 3 lakh voters in Viramgam, including 65,000 Thakors (OBC), 50,000 Patidars, 35,000 Dalits, 20,000 Muslims and 20,000 from the Bharwad and Rabari castes (OBC). There are also 18,000 Kolis (OBC) members and 10,000 Karadia Rajputs, also an OBC caste..—PTI
Gujarat CM Bhupendra Patel leads in early counting
Scene outside a counting centre in Ahmedabad on December 8, 2022. The counting of votes for 182 Assembly seats is underway in Gujarat. | Photo Credit: Vijay Soneji
BJP’s sitting Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel was leading in Ghatlodiya Assembly seat with 7869 votes. Patel contested against Amee Yajnik of Congress, who had 1166 seats and Vijay Patel of the AAP, who showed 488, according to EC.
BJP’s Gulabsinh Ratansinh Padhiyar was leading from Anklav with a margin of 1,738 votes as Congress’ Amit Chavda is trailing on the seat.
BJP’s Ishvarbhai alias Anilbhai Ramanbhai Parmar was leading from Bardoli, while Congress’ Pannaben Patel is trailing by 2,418 votes.—ANI
Official trends show BJP in commanding position
According to the official trends from the Election Commission of India on 111 of 182 seats, BJP is leading in 88 seats, Congress in 13 seats, and the AAP ahead in 8 seats. Meanwhile, others are leading in 2 seats. —Mahesh Langa
Here’s a look at the Gujarat Assembly seat share from 1980-2017
BJP surges ahead of Congress, AAP in early trends
The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday took an impressive lead over Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) as counting of votes for Gujarat assembly elections got underway.
Early reports from counting centres, collated by PTI showed the BJP was ahead in 15 seats, while the Congress appeared headed for a distant second spot in the three-way contest precipitated by the entry of the AAP into the poll arena of the western State. The Congress was seen leading in 5 seats and the AAP was ahead in a seat.
The Election Commission of India website showed BJP leading in three seats, Congress in two seats and AAP in a seat.—PTI
Hardik Patel predicts 135 to 145 seats for BJP in Gujarat
As counting of votes for Gujarat Assembly polls began, Bharatiya Janata Party candidate Hardik Patel predicted that his party will win over 130 seats, the most by party till date in the Gujarat Assembly elections, and expressed optimism that the BJP will undoubtedly form the government for the seventh time in the State.
The ruling BJP in Gujarat is aiming for a straight seventh term in the State.—ANI
A look at voter composition in this Assembly election in Gujarat
Counting of votes begin
Counting of votes for the high-stakes Gujarat Assembly polls began at 37 counting centres amid tight security and in the presence of Election Commission of India-appointed observers across the state.
While counting of postal ballots began at 8 a.m., counting of EVM votes will begin at 8.30 a.m., an official said.
The Commission has made elaborate security arrangements to ensure a smooth counting process. The entire counting process is being videotaped.—PTI
BJP hoping to set new records in Gujarat
When votes get counted on Thursday for Assembly elections in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party will be hoping to set a few new records.
Victory in Gujarat will make it the only party other than the Communist Party of India (Marxist) to have won seven straight Assembly elections. The CPI(M), which ruled West Bengal for 34 years from 1977 to 2011, had also won seven straight elections.
BJP upbeat ahead of counting of votes
The ruling BJP in Gujarat is aiming for a straight seventh term in the State, as the counting of votes for the Assembly elections held on December 1 and 5 gets underway on Thursday morning.
The counting process will start at 8 a.m. at 37 counting centres covering the 182 Assembly seats.
It was a high-stakes three-cornered fight between the BJP, Congress and AAP. Political observers said the outcome will determine who captures the main opposition space in Gujarat.
Exit polls have predicted a big majority for the BJP in Gujarat and if these projections are any indication, the saffron party is all set to retain power in the State for the seventh consecutive term and equal Left Front’s feat in West Bengal. —PTI
