Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 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.
