JOIN USThe win comes after Modi’s BJP tasted victory a fortnight back in the state’s civic polls, where, too, the Congress got a drubbing. The party asserted its dominance by winning 22 of the 24 district panchayats in the state.
Worse for the Congress, Modi managed to wrest control over the Anand district panchayat, which has been under Congress control for years. The party even lost the tribal-dominated Dahod panchayat in the Central Gujarat region, another Congress bastion.
Significantly, a good number of 60-odd Muslim candidates put up by Modi won the elections and the chief minister stressed this fact during his victory rally in Ahmedabad.
During the rally, Modi attributed the party’s success to the development mantra of his government. “It has been an inclusive victory. Even Muslims have voted for the party. Be it Muslims, poor, tribals. All have reposed their faith in our developmental politics,” he said.
The opposition Congress, which found itself in an embarrassing position following its allegations of tampered EVMs, faced more trouble following the debacle.
Taking moral responsibility for the defeat, Gujarat Congress president Siddarth Patel resigned from the post. “I have resigned taking moral responsibility but I still believe its not Modi magic but EVM magic,” said Patel reiterating his allegation that EVMs had been tampered during the polls.
CLP leader Shakti Sinh Gohil has also tendered his resignation. But Modi refuted the charges saying the Congress was acting as a poor looser.