For the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) it was its best-ever performance in Gujarat Assembly elections. The party bagged 156 seats followed by Congress with 17, Aam AAdmi Paty (AAP) with 5 seats and others like the Independent got 3 and Samajwadi Party got 1 in the 182 seats Assembly. The BJP has been in power in Gujarat for 27 years but it never registered such a record-shattering victory in state Assembly elections. The saffron party has not only bettered its own 2002 tally, it has also surpassed the best performance by any party in Gujarat. In 2002, BJP had won 127 of 182 Gujarat Assembly seats. The majority mark is 92.
The best-ever performance by any party in Gujarat earlier was 149 by the Congress under the leadership of Madhavsinh Solanki in 1985. The opening of the AAP’s account with five seats also suggests the party has given itself a chance to replace the Congress as the BJP’s opposition in Gujarat in the years to come. The Congress’s base is now limited to sections of Muslims and tribals and it depleting, groups that are likely to look increasingly to the AAP as the Congress continues to decline.
Emboldened by its victory in Punjab, the AAP, which is also in power in Delhi, had hoped to its ‘politics of freebees’ will be accepted by the people in Gujarat too. The Arvind Kejriwal party had carried out a high-decibel campaign in its attempt to make it a three-way fight. But with just five seats to its name, AAP fell short of its own expectations. A good show in Gujarat could have helped Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal cement his place as a key challenger to Prime Minister Modi in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. Nevertheless, Kejriwal came out smiling addressing the people on national television to thank them for making AAP a ‘national party’.
“Today, the AAP has become a national party. Results of Gujarat Elections have come and the party has become a national party. Ten years ago AAP was a small party, now it has governments in two states and has become a national party,” Kejriwal said. Congress had hardly anything to comment on their dismal performance in Gujarat.
In Gujarat the victory for BJP is also the seventh in a row. The party recorded its previous victories in 1995, 1998, 2002, 2007, 2012, and 2017. The 1995 Assembly saw some turmoil with BJP rebels Shankersinh Vaghela and Dilip Parikh becoming chief ministers for a total of a year and a half.
The only other party that has achieved this feat is the CPM in West Bengal where the Left Front won seven straight elections from 1977 before being defeated by Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress in 2011. The CPM ruled Bengal for 34 years.
In Himachal Pradesh it was a straight win for the Congress by defeating the BJP. In the 68-seat Assembly, Congress got 40 while the BJP sould manage only 25 and three seats went to Independents. It is also pertinent to note that no party has won two consecutive Assembly elections in Himachal since 1985. Almost like Kerala where normally every five years the party changes hands of power, in Himachal Pradesh power has always alternated between the BJP and Congress.
However, as seen in the recent past, BJP despite losing in number game will still try to upset the apple cart and will also try to break this cyclical pattern of alternate party government every five years in Himachal Pradesh. The setback for the BJP is mainly due to party rebels who contested in 21 of the 68 seats. For the BJP as a whole and especially for the leaders from the state party units, it is imperative for them to maintain discipline. The 2024 General elections are not too far and the BJP has to work on these issues to consolidate themselves and not just rejoice the party’s victory in Gujarat.
