BJP's big Gujarat win: Chief Minister Narendra Modi gets hat-trick
02:10PM Thu 20 Dec, 2012
Ahmedabad: Narendra Modi is not wearing saffron today. The ubiquitous stole with the BJP's lotus symbol that he wore during his campaign too is missing. He has visited his mother, been the gracious victor in looking up rival Keshubhai Patel and will in some time arrive at the BJP's office in Ahmedabad, where a huge stage has been erected to welcome him. Narendra Modi will be the Chief Minister of Gujarat again, winning a third straight term and with a bigger mandate.
Mr Modi is set to win 121 of Gujarat's 182 assembly seats, four more than his 2007 tally of 117 seats. He needed only 92 of those seats to form government. But a big winning margin was important for Mr Modi; it will give legitimacy to his claim to a bigger role at the national stage. At the party office in Ahmedabad, his celebrating supporters seem clear where he is headed next. They held up posters that said, "This is the trailer, watch the film in 2014" and "CM in 2012, PM in 2014" and even "Hit & Fit for PM."
Before leaving home in the afternoon, Mr Modi said he would first visit his mother to seek her blessings. At her home, where hundreds of supporters had gathered to greet him, Mr Modi fed his mother sweets. Media reports quoted his mother, Hiraba, as saying that she believes Mr Modi will make India proud when he becomes Prime Minister.
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Many in the BJP want him projected as the party's candidate for Prime Minister in the 2014 general elections. But the leadership in Delhi is less ready to talk about that just yet.
Cheering the Gujarat win senior BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad would only say, "Modi bhai has always been an important leader in the BJP... We are not a dynastic party which is led by a Yuvaraj. We function in a pure democratic fashion." And party president Mr Gadkari said emphatically, "Gujarat will continue to flourish under the leadership of Narendra Modi."
Arun Jaitley, known to be close to Mr Modi said, "The Gujarat election was key...This is a vote for Modi's leadership...Look at the vote that he's been getting -it defies caste and community."
Mr Modi is not universally acceptable to allied parties like the Janata Dal (United). As results rolled in to make it clear that Mr Modi would win big again in Gujarat, JD(U) leader Ali Anwar said, "Gujarat is not the full country. Muslims in Gujarat may have voted out of fear. We have made our stand clear, the JD(U) wants a man of credentials." JD(U) sources in Bihar pointed out that the BJP had lost Himachal Pradesh today despite Mr Modi campaiging extensively there; if he had universal appeal, why did his presence not help the BJP in Himachal, they asked. Though the BJP and JD(U) are partners in the National Democratic Alliance or NDA, they fought the Gujarat elections separately.
Mr Modi reportedly wanted a bigger win to get more bargaining power; also within his own party, where in an internal power struggle, many senior leaders are said to be wary of Mr Modi's attempt to come to the national stage.
The Congress' celebration of managing to contain Mr Modi proved embarrassingly premature. A few hours into counting of votes today, Finance Minister P Chidambaram said, "The Congress is a clear winner in Gujarat, we have been able to contain BJP and Modi to under 117 seats." At that time, 117 seemed a stretch for Mr Modi, but he soon surged ahead.
In consonance, the Chief Minister has won his own election in Maninagar constituency of Ahmedabad by a whopping 86,373 votes, defeating political debutante Shweta Bhatt, the wife of Sanjiv Bhatt, the senior policeman who went against Mr Modi in Gujarat riots cases. Mr Modi had in 2007 won by 75,000 votes.
There is more ignominy for the Congress - many of its major leaders have lost their elections, including the Congress Legislature Party leader Shaktisinh Gohil and three MPs that it had fielded - Kunvarji Bavalia, Somabhai G Patel and Vitthal Radadia, who recently gained notoriety for brandishing a gun at a toll booth attendant.
BJP rebel and former Chief Minister Keshubhai Patel has won his election from Visavadar, but his Gujarat Parivartan Party (GPP), expected to play spoilsport for Mr Modi in Saurashtra, failed to make a dent. Mr Modi visited Mr Patel today, sought his blessings and fed him sweets.
Mr Modi is set to win 121 of Gujarat's 182 assembly seats, four more than his 2007 tally of 117 seats. He needed only 92 of those seats to form government. But a big winning margin was important for Mr Modi; it will give legitimacy to his claim to a bigger role at the national stage. At the party office in Ahmedabad, his celebrating supporters seem clear where he is headed next. They held up posters that said, "This is the trailer, watch the film in 2014" and "CM in 2012, PM in 2014" and even "Hit & Fit for PM."
Before leaving home in the afternoon, Mr Modi said he would first visit his mother to seek her blessings. At her home, where hundreds of supporters had gathered to greet him, Mr Modi fed his mother sweets. Media reports quoted his mother, Hiraba, as saying that she believes Mr Modi will make India proud when he becomes Prime Minister.
Most Recent
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Also See
29:03
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0:18
Happy with Himachal Pradesh results, says Sonia
Many in the BJP want him projected as the party's candidate for Prime Minister in the 2014 general elections. But the leadership in Delhi is less ready to talk about that just yet.
Cheering the Gujarat win senior BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad would only say, "Modi bhai has always been an important leader in the BJP... We are not a dynastic party which is led by a Yuvaraj. We function in a pure democratic fashion." And party president Mr Gadkari said emphatically, "Gujarat will continue to flourish under the leadership of Narendra Modi."
Arun Jaitley, known to be close to Mr Modi said, "The Gujarat election was key...This is a vote for Modi's leadership...Look at the vote that he's been getting -it defies caste and community."
Mr Modi is not universally acceptable to allied parties like the Janata Dal (United). As results rolled in to make it clear that Mr Modi would win big again in Gujarat, JD(U) leader Ali Anwar said, "Gujarat is not the full country. Muslims in Gujarat may have voted out of fear. We have made our stand clear, the JD(U) wants a man of credentials." JD(U) sources in Bihar pointed out that the BJP had lost Himachal Pradesh today despite Mr Modi campaiging extensively there; if he had universal appeal, why did his presence not help the BJP in Himachal, they asked. Though the BJP and JD(U) are partners in the National Democratic Alliance or NDA, they fought the Gujarat elections separately.
Mr Modi reportedly wanted a bigger win to get more bargaining power; also within his own party, where in an internal power struggle, many senior leaders are said to be wary of Mr Modi's attempt to come to the national stage.
The Congress' celebration of managing to contain Mr Modi proved embarrassingly premature. A few hours into counting of votes today, Finance Minister P Chidambaram said, "The Congress is a clear winner in Gujarat, we have been able to contain BJP and Modi to under 117 seats." At that time, 117 seemed a stretch for Mr Modi, but he soon surged ahead.
In consonance, the Chief Minister has won his own election in Maninagar constituency of Ahmedabad by a whopping 86,373 votes, defeating political debutante Shweta Bhatt, the wife of Sanjiv Bhatt, the senior policeman who went against Mr Modi in Gujarat riots cases. Mr Modi had in 2007 won by 75,000 votes.
There is more ignominy for the Congress - many of its major leaders have lost their elections, including the Congress Legislature Party leader Shaktisinh Gohil and three MPs that it had fielded - Kunvarji Bavalia, Somabhai G Patel and Vitthal Radadia, who recently gained notoriety for brandishing a gun at a toll booth attendant.
BJP rebel and former Chief Minister Keshubhai Patel has won his election from Visavadar, but his Gujarat Parivartan Party (GPP), expected to play spoilsport for Mr Modi in Saurashtra, failed to make a dent. Mr Modi visited Mr Patel today, sought his blessings and fed him sweets.
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