Assembly election results 2017: Belying expectations, initial trends have, however, thrown up a surprise in Gujarat, showing BJP and Congress locked in a neck and neck battle. As of now, BJP is moving ahead.
It’s December 18. EVMs have been opened and brisk counting of votes in two states that went to polls is underway. It will be known in a matter of hours if the BJP under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi will retain its stronghold on Gujarat for a sixth straight term, and if it will make a comeback in Himachal Pradesh to capture power in the 16th state.
A majority of exit polls have predicted it can. In both states. Belying expectations, initial trends have, however, thrown up a surprise in Gujarat, showing BJP and Congress locked in a neck and neck battle. As of now, BJP is moving ahead.
According to latest figures from aapkasamachar, BJP is leading in 105 seats, while Congress is ahead in 85 seats. In the 182-seat Assembly, BJP holds 121 seats while Congress has 61. The half-way mark is 92.
Gujarat is a prestige battle for Prime Minister Narendra Modi who steered a no-holds-barred campaign against the Congress. The results will be no less a telling statement on the new Congress president Rahul Gandhi, who has seemingly set his party on a revival course, with his relentless attacks on the ruling BJP.
In Himachal Pradesh, the trends, according to NDTV, show the saffron party leading in 39 seats. The Congress is ahead in 25 seats.
The exit polls have predicted a clear majority for the BJP whose CM candidate in Himachal Pradesh, Prem Kumar Dhumal began drawing crowds to his village in Hamirpur. Initial trends, however, show Dhumal trailing in Sujanpur.
Congress leader and Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh has insisted that Monday’s results will prove the pollsters wrong.
The days before the voting saw political leaders of both mainstream rivals hit the campaign trail, particularly in Gujarat, with all their might. During the campaign, Modi tried to corner the Congress on issues like Ram temple, alleged Pakistani hand in Gujarat polls and now-suspended senior Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar’s “neech”remark.
Rahul Gandhi kept up its attack on Modi over GST and unemployment among other issues. The Congress joined hands with prominent Patidar, OBC, and Dalit leaders — Hardik Patel, Alpesh Thakor and Jigesh Mevani. It remains to be seen if the broad social coalition will work in the party’s favour.
The results will also set the tone for the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.
