BJP returned to Gujarat with a record victory, crossing the 150-seat mark for the first time in the state. With this, the saffron party will come back to power in the western state for the seventh time.
The electoral message from Gujarat is crystal clear that Prime Minister Narendra Modi remains the single-most popular leader, and the people of the state are going to firmly stand behind him when the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party bids for a consecutive third term on the national stage in 2024 general polls.
In response to PM Modi's call for the people of Gujarat to break his electoral record of winning 127 out of 182 seats in assembly elections, the BJP made history in the state by winning at least 153 seats for the first time and retaining power for the seventh term. The mandate has ensured that the BJP will now remain in office in Gujarat for 32 years, the longest the BJP has remained in power in any state.
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Jignesh Mevani is maintaining a slight lead in the contest for the Vadgam seat. Mevani, contesting on a Congress ticket is ahead with a margin of 2,744 votes, with Manibhai Vaghela of BJP in tow.
Alpesh Thakor of BJP defeated Himanshu Patel of Congress by a margin of 43,064 votes to win the Gandhinagar South seat.
Incumbent Himachal Pradesh CM Jairam Thakur has maintained his lead in the Seraj Assembly seat, holding a margin of 38,183 votes over Congress' Chet Ram. BJP, however, is on the backfoot in the state. Thakur told ANI that he will tender his resignation to the governor in some time.
BJP national president JP Nadda congratulated in a tweet Gujarat CM Bhupendra Patel, state party chief CR Paatil, and BJP cadres in the state for securing a strong lead in the state Assembly elections.
The Election Commission of India has declared the first two seat wins in state of Gujarat for the BJP.
Kamleshbhai Rameshbhai Patel (Master) has won in Petlad with a margin of 17,954 votes while Kanaiyalal Bachubhai Kishori has won from Dahod with a margin of 29,350 votes.
BJP’s Mission Gujarat: To Better Its Own Record For Seventh Term
The Indian National Congress' gains in Himachal Pradesh edged higher as the party cemented its lead in 37 seats, compared to 27 for the BJP.
The EC has declared BJP's win in Sundernagar constituency.
The Bharatiya Janata Party has officially won its first seat in Himachal Pradesh. Party candidate Rakesh Kumar has won the Sundernagar constituency by a margin of 8,125 votes.
Kurhani, Bihar: Slim lead for BJP's Kedar Prasad Gupta. JDU's Manoj Singh trailing by fewer than 2,000 seats.
Bhanupratappur, Chhattisgarh: INC's Savitri Mandavi leading with 45% vote share.
Padampur, Odisha: Biju Janata Dal's Barsha Singh Bariha leading with nearly 60% vote share.
Sardarshahar, Rajasthan: INC's Anil Kumar Sharma leading with 42.3% vote share.
Khatauli, Uttar Pradesh: Rashtriya Lok Dal's Madan Bhaiya leading with 65% vote share.
Bye-Election to Mainpuri, Uttar Pradesh (Parliamentary constituency: Dimple Yadav, wife of Samajwadi Party president and former Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Akhilesh Yadav leads with 67% vote share.
The BJP and Congress are tied close at 33 and 31 leads as of 10:30 a.m. according to official trends posted by the Election Commission in Himachal Pradesh.
The majority mark needed in the state is 35.
While 64 seats are primarily being contested by the two major parties, there are 4 independent candidates leading, who might prove to be the tipping point later in the day.
The Bhartiya Janata Party is ahead in PM Narendra Modi's home state Gujarat as well as Himachal Pradesh, according to early leads on the ECI website.
The BJP has 18 leads across 23 seats so far in Gujarat. The Aam Aadmi Party and Congress also have two and three leads in the state in early counting as of 9:10 a.m.
The ruling party is also leading in Himachal, with seven leads in 10 seats.
The hill state is looking at a tight competition between the BJP and Congress, with both trying to win in Himachal Pradesh. The counting of votes will begin at 8:00 a.m. across 59 locations throughout the state.
Himachal Pradesh went to polls on Nov. 12 in a single phase. The voter turnout in the state was 74.61%, according to the Election Commission of India.
Most exit polls for Himachal Pradesh show the BJP holding a minor advantage over the Congress in a neck-and-neck race.
One exit poll—India Today-Axis My India—even finds the scales tipping in Congress' favour.
The electoral battle in Gujarat nears its culmination, with the counting of votes for the Legislative Assembly about to begin at 37 centres across the state on Dec. 8.
Exit polls for Gujarat, across the board, project a BJP clean sweep in its bastion and a return to power for the seventh time. The home state of Prime Minister Narendra Modi went to the polls in two phases to elect MLAs for 182 Vidhan Sabha seats. The overall voter turnout was 64.3%, around 4% less than what was seen in the 2017 polls.
The traditional contest between the BJP and Congress in Gujarat saw a new entrant this time in the AAP. Pre-result surveys show BJP managing a comfortable lead to cross the winning mark of 92 seats in the state, whereas Congress will be a distant second, while AAP will barely manage to make some inroads in the western state this time.
Significant names in the fray include the incumbent Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, Patidar leader Hardik Patel, Dalit leader Jignesh Mevani, Isudan Gadhvi of AAP, and Rivaba Jadeja—wife of Ravindra Jadeja, among others.