Gujarat Election Results: BJP Bags 99, To Form Govt For 6th Time
Catch live updates of the Gujarat Assembly Elections 2017 results.
.jpg)
Gujarat Records 67.40% Voter Turnout
Counting Begins
Officials at the counting centre, set up at Ahmedabad's Gujarat College, open the ballot boxes as counting of votes begins.
Stage Set For Counting Day
Ahead of counting, Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Gujarat, BB Swain, told reporters: "At 37 places, a total of 182 counting halls have been created. There will be 14 tables for each assembly constituency where from EVMs (electronic voting machines) will be counted".
"The counting of votes will begin at 8 am with counting of postal ballots. The counting of votes cast in Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) will commence at 8:30 am once postal ballots have been counted," Swain said.
Tight security is in place for counting day, Swain was quoted as saying. "Around 20,000 security personnel will be deployed at counting centres."
Alpesh Thakor and Jignesh Mevani Leading
Congress leader Alpesh Thakor and independent candidate and Dalit leader Jignesh Mevani are reportedly leading in Radhanpur and Vadgam, respectively, according to India Today and CNN News 18.
Early leads suggest Congress’ Arjun Modhwadia is trailing in Porbandar. During phase 1 of polling, on 9 December, the Congress leader had alleged that the EVMs had been rigged using Bluetooth.
Gujarat Verdict Hits Sensex
Sensex lower by 700 points, while Nifty trades almost 200 points lower as of 9:19 am on Gujarat election results day.
CM Vijay Rupani Retakes his Lead
Chief Minister Vijay Rupani is leading by 1,800 seats in Rajkot West, ANI reports. BJP Gujarat chief Jitu Vaghani is leading by 2,200 votes in Bhavnagar West, where he was pitted against Congress' Shaktisinh Gohil.
Markets Stabilise
Markets recover as trends show BJP leading in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh elections. Nifty back above 10,300 levels, while rupee trades at 64.26 against its last close of 64.04, Reuters reports.
The Quint Reports from BJP HQ in Delhi
The Quint Reports from Ahmedabad
PM Modi Flashes Victory Sign
Prime Minister Narendra Modi flashed a victory sign for the photographers as he arrived at the Parliament on Monday morning.
In Photos: Scenes from the BJP HQ in Delhi
Over 2 Lakh Voters Pick NOTA
Election Commission data reveals that over two lakh voters in Gujarat picked None of the Above (NOTA). This is the first time that the NOTA option has been made available for voters in the Gujarat Assembly elections.
Mevani Leads in Vadgam
Independent candidate Jignesh Mevani is leading by 10,785 votes in Vadgam, ANI reported. The Dalit leader, who has been backed by the Congress, is up against the BJP's Vijay Chakravarti. Early trends had put Mevani in second place in the seat. Ahead of the Gujarat election results, Mevani had rubbished exit polls, expressing confidence that the BJP would lose the elections.
In Photos: Mood at Gujarat's Congress Office
The Quint's Analysis: Modi's Pakistan Remark Is a Worrying Trend
In Cards: Election Commission Trends till 11 am
BJP Takes Porbandar Seat
The Porbandar seat has gone to the BJP. Mahatma Gandhi’s birthplace saw a clash of the titans, with old rivals, Arjun Modhwadia of the Congress and BJP’s Babu Bokhiria clashing for the fourth time since 2002. Incumbent Babu Bokhiria was also the water resources and agriculture minister in Chief Minister Vijay Rupani’s cabinet.
The voter base in the seat comprises the fishing community and the Mer community, which consists of Bokhiria, Modhwadia, Brahmins and Lohans.
Rahul Gandhi had campaigned aggressively in coastal Gujarat. The Congress had promised to set up a separate fisheries ministry and an increase in the quota of subsidized kerosene if voted to power.
Congress Opens Account With Mahudha
The Congress opened its account in Gujarat with the Mahudha seat in Gujarat, with over 78,006 votes in favour of candidate Indrajitsinh Natrvarsinh Parmar. He was pitted against the BJP's Bharatsinh Raysinh Parmar.
Yogi Adityanath Congratulates PM Modi, Amit Shah
Celebrations at BJP Office in Gandhinagar
It's a Victory of Development: Smriti Irani
In Photos: Celebrations at BJP HQ in Delhi
Rajnath Singh Flashes Victory Sign
Union Minister Rajnath Singh flashed a victory sign outside Parliament as trends indicate BJP's victory in both Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh.
Una Won by Congress
The Congress' Vansh Punjabhai Bhimabhai won Una with 72,775 votes, defeating the BJP's Haribhai Boghbhai Solanki. Una town in Gujarat’s Gir Somnath district became the epicentre of a Dalit agitation in July 2016 after a group of Dalit men were attacked by self-proclaimed 'gau rakshaks' for skinning a dead cow. To protest the incident, Dalit leader Jignesh Mevani led a 10-day march, called 'Azadi Kooch, from Ahmedabad to Una. Several members of the Dalit community also resorted to leaving cow carcasses outside government offices in Gujarat to protest the crime.
Jignesh Mevani Tweets Images of Victory Sign
Dalit Leader Jignesh Mevani tweeted images indicating he had won in Vadgam. However, while the independent candidate appears to be in the lead, the Election Commission has not declared results for the seat yet.
Live: The Big Picture
What do BJP’s Gujarat and Himachal victories mean for national politics in the run-up to 2019 Lok Sabha election?
Rupani Retains Rajkot West
Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani retained the Rajkot West seat by defeating Congress candidate Indranil Rajyaguru. Rupani, who was initially trailing after the count of postal ballots, later marched ahead of his Congress rival and defeated him by a margin.
Hardik Patel Alleges Tampering of EVMs
The Patidar agitation spearhead alleged that the people of Gujarat “meant well”, but “money and tricks” influenced the votes.
PM Modi, Amit Shah Hail Victory
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said election results in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh indicate a strong support for politics of good governance and development, as trends showed that the BJP was inching towards victory in the two states.
He also said the results proved that there is a strong support for "politics of good governance and development".
BJP Chief Amit Shah also tweeted, congratulating his party for winning in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh. He termed it a victory of PM Narendra Modi's development agenda against the politics of casteism and appeasement.
Takeaway:
This was the first election in Gujarat in the last 22 years that the BJP fought without Modi as its chief ministerial face. Besides anti-incumbency, Dalit, Patidar and OBC agitations put the party on the backfoot. Economic decisions like demonetisation and GST also led to considerable disenchantment among the trader community, concentrated in cities like Surat, Rajkot, Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar and Vadodara. Although BJP chief had Amit Shah set a target of 150 seats, anything above 100 seats is likely to be projected as a victory for the party's election strategy. In 2012, the BJP won 115 seats in the Vidhan Sabha, and the Congress 61
It's Official! Jignesh Mevani Wins
Dalit leader Jignesh Mevani has won the Vadgam seat with 95,497 votes. The Independent candidate defeated the BJP’s Vijaykumar Harkhabhai by over 19,000 votes.
Takeaway
North Gujarat is considered a relatively safe bet for the Congress, which did not field a candidate against Mevani this election. The Thakors constitute 20 percent of Vadgam’s population, while Muslims make up around 12 percent of the population. The Congress won the seat in 1998, 2002 and 2012.
Watch: Congress Holds Press Conference
Rahul Lauds Congress' Efforts in Gujarat
Alpesh Thakor Wins Radhanpur
Congress' OBC face Alpesh Thakor has won the Radhanpur seat, with a margin of around 15,000 votes. The newly-inducted Congress leader defeated BJP’s Lavingji Thakor.
Takeaway:
The Congress stands to gain from Alpesh's claim that he holds sway over nearly 50 percent of the electorate and the Thakor Sena – a cadre-based, grassroots organisation that works to eradicate liquor addiction.
PM Modi Arrives For Parliamentary Board Meet
Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived at BJP HQ in Delhi, and was received by BJP President Amit Shah.
Counting of Votes Through VVPAT in Two Booths
The Election Commission of India was approached for counting at two booths in different constituencies, said Gujarat’s Chief Electoral Officer BB Swain.
He added that the ECI has given instructions to conduct counting through VVPAT in those two particular booths.
Amit Shah Addresses Media At BJP HQ
"I Bow Down To The People of Gujarat": PM Modi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that he “bowed down” to the people of Gujarat and called the elections “historic”. He said that the recent elections results have “proven that the country is ready for reform”, and that the country “believes” in transformation.
Gujarat Deputy CM Wins Mahesana
Gujarat Deputy CM Nitinbhai Patel won the Mahesana assembly seat, defeating Congress’s Jivabhai Ambalal Patel by 7137 votes. Patel also held various portfolios including Health, Medical Education, Family Welfare, Road and Building, Capital Project, in the Gujarat cabinet.
BJP's Bhupendra Patel Wins with the Highest Margin
BJP candidate from Ghatlodiya, Bhupendra Patel, was the one to win by the highest margin during this year’s assembly elections.
He got 1,75,652 votes, against 57,902 votes won by Congress candidate, Shashikant Patel, in Ghatlodiya, thus giving him a comfortable victory by a margin of 1,17,750 votes.
The margin is even higher than the margin of 1,10,395 votes by which former Gujarat CM Anandiben Patel won from Ghatlodiya in the previous assembly elections in 2012.
Kaparda MLA Wins With Thinnest Margin
Congress candidate and sitting MLA from Kaprada, Jitubhai Chaudhari, contesting from Kaprada (ST) seat, won by a thin margin of 170 votes against BJP candidate Madhubhai Raut.
Chaudhari won with a margin of 18,685 votes in the previous state assembly elections in 2012.
Jaitley To Visit Gujarat, Discuss Leadership in State
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and General Secretary of the party Saroj Pandey will go as observers to Gujarat and discuss about the leadership in the state, said JP Nadda, after the Parliamentary board meeting.
Counting Ends With BJP Winning 99 Seats
100% Match in Random Vote Count on EVMs and Paper Trail Slips: EC Official
There was a "100 per cent match" in the random vote count on EVMs and paper trail slips carried out by the Election Commission in 182 Gujarat polling stations today, a senior official said.
The EC had said it would conduct random vote counts on EVMs and VVPAT slips in one polling station in each of the 182 Assembly constituencies. The polling stations were decided through a draw of lots in which the candidates or their agents were also present.
The EC had decided to match the tally in select polling stations amid allegations that the EVMs were compromised to help the BJP.
The BJP on Monday, 18 December, managed to hold on to power in Gujarat, edging past the half-way mark to clinch a sixth term in government.
Overcoming initial setbacks in a seesaw battle, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) bagged 99 seats, seven more than the magic figure of 92 in a House of 182. Putting up an improved performance, the Congress secured 77 seats while its allies got three more. The NCP, which fought alone, got a lone seat and Independents got three.
- BJP won the Gujarat Assembly elections with 99 seats, gearing up to form the govt for a sixth time in the state
- Congress emerged victorious in 77 seats
- Three independent candidates, including Jignesh Mevani, will join the Assembly
- CM Vijay Rupani retains Rajkot West by 53,737 votes
- Newly minted Congress leader Alpesh Thakor registers win in Radhanpur
- Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) bags one seat, Bhartiya Tribal Party (BTP) wins two
- Over 5.2 lakh Gujarat voters opted for NOTA
- BJP won the Gujarat Assembly elections with 99 seats, gearing up to form the govt for a sixth time in the state
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)