Gujarat: CM Bhupendra Patel's oath on Monday; PM to attend
Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel is expected to take oath of office for the second consecutive time on December 12 following Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP's) massive victory in the Assembly elections. PM Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah will attend the function. The party exceeded the 150-mark threshold in the state for the first time, putting it comfortably ahead of all other parties.
BJP breaks record for most Assembly seats in Gujarat
With the victory, the BJP set a record for gaining the most Assembly seats in Gujarat. It has surpassed the 1985 mark of 149 seats won by Congress. In addition to this, Patel has also surpassed a significant record held by Modi. Twenty years after winning the most seats in Gujarat—127—under Modi's leadership in 2002, Patel has handed the saffron party more seats.
Watch: Celebrations mode for BJP
Allegations of EVM tampering
Meanwhile, many Congress candidates have accused the BJP of wrongdoing in the elections. The allegations come minutes after polls results displayed a loss for the party on crucial seats. Congress candidate from Gandhidham, Bharatbhai Veljibhai Solanki, also alleged EVM tampering during the counting of votes. Solanki lost to BJP's Malti Kishor Maheshwari by over 12,000 votes.
Exit polls had predicted BJP's victory
Exit polls had also forecast a landslide victory for the BJP in Gujarat. The BJP received 117-140 seats in the News X-Jan Ki Baat exit polls, the Congress 34-51, and the AAP 6-13. Republic TV-P MARQ poll gave BJP 128-148 seats, Congress 30-42 seats, and the AAP 2-10 seats. India Today-Axis My India gave the BJP 131-151 seats, Congress 16-30, and AAP 9-21.
Results of 2017 Assembly elections
In the last Gujarat Assembly elections, conducted in 2017, Congress put up a strong fight against the BJP, but the latter prevailed. The BJP gained 99 seats in the elections, barely one seat more than the majority mark of 92. The Congress won 77 seats, their highest showing in the state since 1985. Rahul Gandhi's vigorous campaigning had benefited the grand old party.
