24.10.10

Modi hammers Congress in Gujarat


Call it the last nail in the Congress coffin in Gujarat. Chief minister Narendra Modiled BJP swept the local body polls, crushing the Congress completely in panchayats and municipalities, after having already won the six municipal corporations. The win clearly underlines the complete domination of the Gujarat CM on the political arena in Gujarat where the Congress has been decimated systematically during the nine years of his rule. The BJP has made clear dents in Congress’s traditional vote-banks — tribals, OBCs, Dalits and even Muslims. Out of 24 district panchayats, the Congress managed to win just two — Gandhinagar and Tapi. These are the smallest of all panchayats in the state. BJP won 21 and Bharuch did not throw up a clear verdict. BJP won 42 out of the 53 municipalities, four went to the Congress. Independents were in a position to capture four. There was no clear verdict in three municipalities. In the panchayat elections, the defeat in Anand is a jolt to Solanki and Dinsha. The loss in Valsad and Surat is a disturbing sign for Chaudhary. Congress retained Gandhinagar district panchayat, a big relief for battered Congressman Shankarsinh Vaghela, whose son Mahendrasinh managed to consolidate Rajputs and OBC Thakores. Insiders say much of the credit for Gandhinagar also goes to local leader CJ Chavda. Congress’s victory in Tapi is at best an isolated win in the eastern tribal belt — BJP performed rather well in all other districts along this belt, snatching Valsad and Surat and retaining Dahod, Panchmahals, Narmada and Sabarkantha. Fielding Christians in Dangs, it seems , also paid dividends to BJP.

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