Ahmedabad/Shimla: As it was anticipated Narendra Modi has registered a
landslide election win attaining a fourth successive term as chief minister of Gujarat
on Thursday and propelled himself as a strong contender in the Prime
Ministerial race in 2014, While Congress has ousted Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP )
from office in Himachal Pradesh.
Soon after the result were announced Modi thanked the people
of Gujarat for his win and termed his victory as a new chapter with new language
in the annals of Indian politics.
“I would like to thank the 6 crore people of Gujarat &
the Almighty for giving us an opportunity to serve the people in the years to
come.”
With this win BJP has registered its fifth consecutive triumph
in Gujarat and thanks to Narendra Modi for his consecutive third term as a
chief minister. Contesting against the Congress, BJP in the Gujarat has bagged
115 seats, two less than in the 2007 elections while Congress bagged two more
to finish at 61.
The Gujarat Parivartan Party (GPP) led by Keshubhai Patel,
which was widely predicted to damage the BJP’s fortunes, ended with a whimper
winning only three seats while the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP)won two
seats while Janata Dal-U one seat.
Modi trounced his nearest Congress rival Shweta Bhatt by a
margin of 86,373 votes, while BJP also bagged Amraivadi, Mangrol and Karanj
seats.
Celebrations have already begun since morning with the counting
of votes and with tone of trends across the state with BJP workers smearing
each other’s face with gulal and beating drums in the streets of Ahmedabad and
elsewhere.
Mr. Modi sought the blessings of his Mother after the
declaration of the 2012 Gujarat Assembly election results.
Modi seems to be on the road to sealing his status as the
most high-profile leader of the BJP ahead of national polls in early 2014.
However, Modi's popularity on the national stage remains
uncertain with his reputation tarnished by allegations over links to deadly
Hindu-Muslim riots in his home state in 2002.
The person, who had consciously refused to apologise or repent over the
post-Godhra violence, on Thursday said he apologised to the six crore Gujaratis
for “any mistake that may have occurred“.
On 13th and 17th December 2012 the people of Gujarat
exercised their franchise to elect a new Vidhan Sabha. This great festival of
democracy saw record voter turnout as the people of Gujarat broke all their
previous records of high voting.
Defeat for BJP in
Himachal Pradesh
Riding an anti-incumbency wave and staving off corruption
charges against its veteran leader Virbhadra Singh, Congress on Thursday ousted
BJP in Himachal Pradesh with a wafer-thin majority of 36 in the 68-member
Assembly.
Disproving predictions of a close contest, the state lived
to its reputation of voting out the party in power, giving the ruling BJP,
which suffered from severe infighting and rebel candidates, only 26 seats.
The Independents, mostly BJP and Congress rebels, won five
seats while Himachal Lokhit Party (HLP) floated by BJP dissidents won one seat.
In the last elections in 2007, the BJP had bagged 41 seats
and Congress 23.
The 78-year-old Virbhadra Singh, a five-time chief minister
who was given the reins of the party on the eve of elections and who ran a
spirited campaign, won from Shimla (Rural).