 |
| Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi among his supporters [File Photo] |
Ahmedabad: Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi is all set perform a
hat-trick in Gujarat while trends reversed in favour of Congress in Himachal
Pradesh where it could wrest power from the saffron party.
Early trends from the counting of votes that begins on Thursday’s
morning hinted chief minister Narendra Modi capturing power for the third
consecutive term.
Modi is pitted against Congress candidate for the chief minister
Shweta Bhatt, wife of suspended IPS officer Sanjeev Bhatt, who has accused Modi
of complicity in 2002 communal riots.
Latest projection by several electronic media shows BJP
leading in as many as 111 seats while the Congress was leading in 67.
Gujarat recorded an all-time high voter turnout of 70 per
cent. Mr Modi and his party the BJP say that's a sign that they will win a big
mandate for the third time in a row, bucking conventional wisdom that people
turn out to vote in greater numbers when they want a change.
The BJP maintains that a rise in voter turnout in Gujarat
has always brought the party gains.
If talks about Himachal Pradesh, chief minister Prem Kumar Dhumal says that he
welcomes the decision of people. “Whatever people decide is good. It would be
good if they support us, and good even if they don’t. I will welcome the
decision of people,” he says.
Fortunes change for Congress in Himachal Pradesh, where it
was initially projected as trailing the ruling BJP. At 10:30 a.m., the Congress
is leading in 37 seats while the BJP is ahead in 24 in the 68-memmber Assembly.
Himachal has a 68-member Assembly in which BJP had won 43 seats in the last
elections against Congress’ 16.
In Gujarat - BJP leads 113 seats; Congress leads
63 seats (12:00 p.m.)
Himachal Pradesh- BJP leads 25 seats; Congress 37