After the Lok Sabha poll debacle and a series of squabbles within the party, BJP has something to cheer. The party wrested five seatsfrom Congress in BJP-ruled states of Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh and got an absolute majority in the hill state of Uttarakhand by winning the lone crucial seat that was contested.
It was a boost for Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi, whose winning ways had come under the cloud of defeat his party suffered in the Lok Sabha polls. On Monday, when the results were announced, Modi cleared the test with flying colours, putting to rest doubts over his leadership, at least in Gujarat.
BJP trounced Congress winning five out of seven seats – including Congress bastions like Jasdan and Chotila – raising its tally in the 182-member assembly from 117 to 121. The saffron party, however, lost Kodinar and Dhoraji. What makes BJP’s revenge sweeter is the fact that Congress had won six out of these seven seats in 2007.
In 2001, Keshubhai Patel lost his CM’s job to Modi following BJP’s defeat in two bypolls in Sabarmati and Sabarkantha.
Modi’s nervousness was visible as he stayed away from the campaign for the September 10 vote. “It was a well thought out strategy. If he had lost badly, he would have gone further into a shell. But after this convincing win, his detractors better watch out,” said a BJP leader.
Party sources said Modi worked hard behind the scenes. Some gambles like fielding a novice Bharat Boghra from Jasdan against Bhavna, daughter of Congress strongman Kunvarji Bavaliya, paid off. BJP settled scores by wresting this seat, which Congress has been winning since 1995. Bavaliya vacated this seat after trouncing BJP in Rajkot in Lok Sabha polls -BJP lost this seat for the first time in over two decades.
In Uttarakhand, the ruling BJP, still short of an absolute majority in 70-member House, scraped through in Vikas Nagar seat by defeating Congress by just 596 votes. In June, the party had won the Kapkot byelection. The party now has 36 MLAs. It also enjoys the support of three Uttarakhand Krantikari Dal legislators and two independent MLAs. BJP’s candidate is also the general secretary of Bharatiya Janta Yuva Morcha.
In Madhya Pradesh, the ruling BJP wrested Tendukheda from Congress which retained Gohad seat. In the 230-member House in Madhya Pradesh, BJP has 144 seats, Congress 69, BSP 7, BJSP 5 and others four. One seat is vacant.
Ruling Sikkim Democratic Front won Namchi-Singhithang seats thus representing all the 32 seats in the state assembly. The victory tightened chief minister Pawan Kumar Chamling’s stranglehold over state politics by outwitting his rival Nar Bahadur Bhandari of Sikkim Sangram Parishad (SSP). SDF also equalled 20 year-old record of SSP.
In Andhra Pradesh, Congress retained Tekkali seat. The byelection was necessitated following the death of its MLA K Revathipati. The party had nominated his widow K Bharati from the seat which she won by around 7,000 votes against her nearest TDP rival K Achhayya Naidu.
Meanwhile, the stage is set to hold the second phase of bypolls in 11 of the 18 constituencies in Bihar on Tuesday. The bypolls in the seven seats were held on September 10. The counting will take place on September 17.
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Really you are
NARENDRASINGH DHONI
after i gone throug this website n watching this video of budget i feel really honour to be i m from gujarat.i respect this person n wishes him for good luck for the future of developement in gujarat.i do want to personally meet with sir narendra modi.my father is to from bjp party he is former president of umbergoan taluka.if these king of budgets is been announced after n after no body can beet for developement n obviously the “steel man” of cm is always been kind to state.
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