From the States : Gujarat

BJP consolidates people's
trust as Congress bites dust
From Our Special Correspondent

People's love and their mandate is the foundation of a democracy. That is what the people of Gujarat have proved in elections to the local bodies in the State. The unequivocal vote by the people is a slap on the face of the Modi detractors and enemies of Gujarat who wanted to blind the local people of the achievements of Modi government by every now and then raising the cry of Godhara. But the people of Gujarat are not naive as not to see through their narrow political outlook. For them Gujarat and its development is much more important than their hollow pranks. They have shown anti-Modi and anti-BJP elements their place not once but a number of times since BJP under the leadership of Shri Narendra Modi was returned to power in 2002. Each time they have failed to understand the message of the Gujarat people. Shri Narendra Modi has become mascot of Gujarat developments and torch-bearer of the hopes and aspirations of the State. He has risen much above the constraints of caste, creed and language. He represents every individual of Gujarat and every Gujarati stands firmly with him. The recent local bodies election results have proved this once more.

Odds are stepping stone to success. This is not true for all. But for those who knew how to turn odds into opportunity this sounds well. That is what has been proved by the Gujarat Chief Minister Shri Narendra Modi in the just-concluded municipal elections.

Knowing well the mood of the people , Shri Modi preferred to introduce new faces instead of distributing tickets to the old faces. Party's decision to field new candidates over the sitting mayors, though initially caused a little resentment, paid dividends.

It has been a great victory for BJP. A still greater win personally for the Gujarat Chief Minister Shri Narendra Modri. And a still harsher, perhaps the worst-ever, drubbing for the Congress party. BJP has registered a sweeping win in the civil elections capturing all the five municipal corporations and all the four municipalities which went to the polls on December 11.

This victory for BJP is all the more significant as it has virtually wiped out the Congress from the State even at the grassroots. This spectacular BJP win gave a boot to the false propaganda that because of Shri Narendra Modi the minorities are deadly against him and his BJP. But this electoral triumph even in areas dominated by minority community has proved how far-fetched and away from reality is their false propaganda. To the utter dismay of Modi critics, BJP has performed exceptionally well in Muslim dominated areas too. The single-poin campaign of BJP detractors to demonise has, in fact, boomeranged on Congress. People have voted with their sole objective only to see over-all development of their State.

The BJP's win has been so comprehensive that not only it ousted the Congress from the Rajkot municipal corporation and retained control of the Vadodara, Surat, Bhavnagar and Jamnagar municipal corporations; it has also improved upon its tally over the last elections and recorded more than a two-thirds majority in all the five major civic bodies in the state. The good work by Shri Narendra Modi-led BJP Government has paid rich dividends and helped the party in widening and strengthening the party's base in Gujarat.

After inflicting a humiliating defeat to the Congress in the recently concluded district and taluka panchayat elections, the BJP has now succeeded in establishing its complete supremacy in urban Gujarat too. It had already elbowed out the Congress from the most prestigious Ahmedabad municipal corporation in the elections in October.

Now the BJP holds sway in all the six municipal corporations and out of 53 nagarpalikas BJP has majority in 42, leaving only five nagarpalikas in Congress basket and 6 for others. Out of 23 district panchayats, BJP won in 18 panchayats and Congress won in 05. BJP has also been voted in to control 127 tehsil panchayats out of 209. This tally includes 10 independents who won with BJP's support. The Congress could only win in 68 panchayats.

The BJP's victory in all the three rounds of the local self-government body elections in the last two months has silenced the critics of Shri Narendra Modi and the State Government. Gujarat has already taken a giant leap forward as far as good governance and the health of economy is concerned.

It was not surprising when overjoyed BJP workers came out in the streets to celebrate the party's victory in the five municipal corporations and four municipalities. Despite being showered with lavish praise and credit for this spectacular winby party workers, Shri Narendra Modi remained humble in this hour of triumph. He refused to acknowledge it as his personal achievement. "This is the victory of the thousands of silent BJP workers who had toiled hard for the party's success. Do not give the credit to me," he said while addressing a workers' rally at the party headquarters in Ahmedabad after the victory.

Shri Modi added, "Political pundits had written us off but the people of the state of Gujarat have proved that they want progress". He added, "It is a new chapter in the political theories to win these many seats across the state in absence of the veteran local faces. It is the victory of all those discipline party workers and those who worked despite losing their respective candidature." He warned party workers to ignore media reports giving credit to him only instead of the party. "

Shri Modi thanked to the people. he said, "I am thankful to the people of Gujarat for backing the party (BJP) that talks about development instead of bringing emotional issues such as castes in the election,". He added that it was lesson for the other party who believed the media only.

"Congress could barely take 10 per cent seats. This is a very special and significant victory. Municipal elections in Gujarat have always been a turning point," said a jubilant Modi. Addressing an ecstatic gathering of party workers at the state BJP headquarters, Modi thundered. It was a near-total sweep for the BJP in both Surat and Vadodara municipal corporations where the party won 90 and 74 seats respectively leaving merely eleven and six seats respectively for the Congress. Many of the important Congress heads rolled in the two cities with even former mayor and a member for the last 15 years, Shri Dalsukh Prajapati, being defeated in Vadodara where the results of three seats in the 84-member civic body have been withheld due to the damage to EVMs.

The same story was repeated in Rajkot. In the 69-member Rajkot Municipal Corporation, the BJP returned to power after five years winning 59 seats with only 10 seats going to the Congress. In Bhavnagar and Jamnagar, which both have 51 seats each, the BJP claimed 39 and 37 seats respectively with Congress winning only 12 and nine seats respectively. In all the four municipalities of Morvi, Mehsana, Una and Padra, the BJP registered an impressive win.