November 21, 2024

BJP Decimates The Opposition In Gujarat

By Sunil Garodia
First publised on 2022-12-09 06:52:49

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Editor-in-Chief of indiacommentary.com. Current Affairs analyst and political commentator.

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As it was claiming all through the campaign, the BJP has performed exceedingly well and has retained its citadel in Gujarat with a record victory. The complete dominance of the party was proved both in terms of seats (156 compared to 99 it got in 2017) and vote share (52.5% this time against 49.1% in 2017). The charisma of Narendra Modi and the organizational acumen of Amit Shah combined this time to decimate the opposition after the scare the party had in 2017.

While AAP ran a high decibel campaign and also hinted many times that people were supporting it in large numbers and even if it did not emerge victorious, it will definitely become the principal opposition party. But its hopes were belied as it won just 5 seats although it scooped up 12.9% vote share to show that it had struck a chord with the people. This, and its vote share in Himachal were enough to give the party the status of a national party and it fits well with the long term game plan of the party.

The Congress, on the other hand, was totally decimated in Gujarat. Beset by defections and loss of prominent youth leaders of different communities it had got in 2017 (Patidar leader Hardik Patel and OBC leader Alpesh Thakor) it ran a surprisingly low-key campaign and could not stir up anti-incumbency against the BJP to cut a sorry figure. It vote share dropped alarmingly from 41.4% in 2017 to just 27.3% this year with AAP gaining at its expense.

The BJP left no stone unturned to ensure that it recorded its best ever performance in the state. The cockiness it displayed in 2017 which led to a near defeat was absent this time and discipline, determination and strategic brilliance (like giving Kartik Amrutiya the ticket in Morbi after the video of him jumping in the river to save victims of the bridge collapse vent viral. Amrutiya won by more than 62000 votes) marked its campaign. The pro-incumbency, which Prime Minister Modi talked about in his campaign speeches, was very much in evidence in Gujarat as the people reposed their faith once again in the BJP.