Indian Prime
Minister Narendra Modi Monday declared victory for his party in two state
elections, including a closely-fought race in his stronghold of Gujarat where
the
charismatic leader fronted the campaign.
Modi thanked
voters in Gujarat, his home state of around 60 million in India’s west, and in
the northern Himalayan region of Himachal Pradesh, for backing the ruling Hindu
national party in the polls.
“I bow to
the people of Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh for their affection and trust in
BJP,” Modi posted on his Twitter account, using the initials of his Bharatiya
Janata Party.
“I assure
them that we will leave no stone unturned in furthering the development journey
of these states and serve the people tirelessly.”
His rival
Rahul Gandhi, who just two days ago replaced his mother Sonia at the helm of
the main opposition Congress party, conceded defeat in Gujarat and
congratulated the BJP on its win.
The ruling
party was also poised to wrest control of Himachal Pradesh from Congress,
extending BJP control to 19 of India’s 29 states and further bolstering Modi
before a general election in 2019.
Congress,
which has ruled India for much of its history but was thumped by Modi’s BJP in
the 2014 national poll, now holds just four states in the world’s largest
democracy of 1.25 billion people.
Party chief
Amit Shah credited Modi’s development agenda for prevailing over “family
politics” — a thinly-veiled reference to Rahul and the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty
that has led Congress for generations.
As counting
continued the election commission said the BJP was on track to win 99 seats in
the 182-seat Gujarat parliament as of early evening.
That result
would return the BJP to power for a sixth consecutive term in the state but
would slash the number of seats from 115 in the last election.
Some experts
had forecast a backlash against Modi over unpopular economic reforms that hit businesses
hard, including a controversial ban on higher-value banknotes and the
introduction of a national goods and services tax.
“The (BJP)
have certainly lost a lot of ground (in Gujarat), but Congress should have
actually won this election, given the anger in the state against the BJP,”
political commentator Manisha Priyam told AFP.
Modi’s star
power was undiminished at BJP headquarters in New Delhi, where supporters
danced, threw rose petals and chanted “Long live Modi!” as the results trickled
in.
“This was
expected… It is a tremendous victory and Modi has come out as the single most
popular leader,” party supporter Sandeep Kapoor told AFP.
India’s
Sensex plunged in opening trade Monday but recovered throughout the day as
results turned in favour of the BJP.
0 Comments