How far was AAP's reality in Gujarat from its expectations?

Riding high on the charisma of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the BJP on Thursday retained power in Gujarat for a record seventh straight term pulverising the Opposition to secure the biggest majority ever in the state.

The debutant AAP’s national convener Arvind Kejriwal’s assertion that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) will form government in Gujarat after the Assembly polls turned out to be a misjudgement after BJP leaped to an overwhelming victory in the state.

Ten exit polls analysed by DH predicted the BJP to win between a minimum of 110 seats and maximum of 161 seats in a House of 182 in Gujarat while the exit poll predicted AAP to secure anywhere between 2-22 seats. With a nearly 13 per cent vote share, the Arvind Kejriwal-headed AAP won five seats in Visavadar, Gariadhar, Botad, Dediapada and Jamjodhpur.

In a video message, the Delhi Chief Minister said though the AAP has not won many seats the votes it got helped it attain the national party status.

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The two big names representing AAP in Gujarat, Gopal Italia and Isudan Gadhvi also tasted major losses in the state.

‘People's journalist' Isudan Gadhvi also failed to strike a chord with the masses. Gadhvi who bagged the maximum votes during an opinion poll by his party to emerge as Aam Aadmi Party’s chief ministerial face in Gujarat Assembly polls, failed to garner enough votes to make his and his party’s debut in Gujarat politics eventful. Gadhvi, contested from Khambhalia seat, and lost to BJP’s Ayar Mulubhai Hardasbhai Bera, who polled 10 per cent more votes than the AAP leader.

During the month-long whirlwind election campaign, Gadhvi was the party's star campaigner along with Kejriwal and Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann. During the campaign, Gadhvi spoke of his being the son of a farmer and also of AAP's promise of "bijli, pani and daam" (power, water and remunerative prices for produce) to win the support of the agrarian community.

Gopal Italia on Thursday lost to sitting BJP MLA Vinod Moradiya in Katargam seat in Surat, the diamond and textile hub that the party had sought to make its launch pad for entering Gujarat’s poll arena. While Moradiya polled 1,20,342 votes, Italia secured 55,713. Italia was one of the high profile candidates and Katargam was considered to be a favourable seat for the AAP as it expected to cash in on an apparent disillusionment with the BJP among diamond and textile workers from the Patidar community of Saurashtra.

The AAP had carried out a high-decibel campaign to make it a three-way fight for the first time in Gujarat where the Congress and the BJP have been traditional rivals, hoping to make a dent in BJP’s victory.

(With agency inputs)