NEW DELHI: By winning 156 of the 182 seats in the Gujarat assembly election on Thursday, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has created several records. However, the party also surmounted several hurdles to create these records.
The BJP has created the record of winning the highest number of seats that the state has ever seen. The earlier record was that of the Congress when it had won 149 seats in the 1985 assembly election with Madhavsinh Solanki as the state chief minister.
It has equalled the record of Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPM] of winning seven consecutive elections in West Bengal. The CPM was in power in the eastern state for 33 years and 11 months from June 1977 to May 2011.
The BJP has also won seven consecutive elections. By the end of this term in 2027, its government would have completed 32 years – just one year and eleven months less than that of the CPM in West Bengal.
The Congress had clocked 55.55 per cent of the 48.82 per cent of the votes polled in 1985. The BJP in 2022 has garnered 52.5 per cent of the 63 per cent votes polled in this election.
The BJP, which was contesting its second ever election after its inception in 1980, had won 11 seats by bagging 14.96 per cent of the votes polled in1985. The Congress this year has won 17 seats by clocking 27.3 per cent of the votes polled.
By winning 156 seats, the BJP has achieved a strike rate of whopping 85.7 per cent.
The BJP has crossed at least five hurdles to create these records. These five hurdles would have been the reasons for the BJP’s undoing had the party lost or had its performance deteriorated in this election.
Anti-incumbency
The BJP has beaten the anti-incumbency sentiments, if any, of 27 long years of being in power since 1995.
The party had won six elections till 2017 – in 1995, 1998, 2002, 2007, 2012 and 2017 – and now has won the record seventh consecutive time in the state.
The BJP is on the verge of creating history in 2027. If it wins the next Gujarat assembly election, it would win eight elections in a row and would surpass the CPM’s record of being in power for about 34 consecutive years.
3 CMs
The BJP has won despite changing three chief ministers in a span of six years.
Narendra Modi was the CM of Gujarat from October 2001 till a few days before he took over as PM in May 2014. He was succeeded by Anandiben Patel on May 22, 2014.
However, Anandiben had to quit in August 2016 due to the agitation by the Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS) led by Hardik Patel, who now is with the BJP.
Anandiben was replaced with Vijay Rupani in August 2016. The BJP won the 2017 assembly election with Rupani as the CM. However, he too was removed and replaced by the incumbent Bhupendra Patel in September 2021 for alleged inefficiency of the government in handling the Covid-19 pandemic in the state.
Bhupendra Patel was a first-term MLA when he became the CM last year.
Dropping entire cabinet
While replacing Rupani with Bhupendra Patel, the BJP also dropped the entire cabinet. This was a rare development in the country’s political history.
Bhupendra Patel picked up an entirely new cabinet. Though the BJP took a major risk by taking this unprecedented step in the history of the state, it seems to have succeeded. Dropping the entire cabinet and replacing the CM seems to have helped the BJP in warding off the anti-incumbency sentiments against its government.
Ticket distribution
The BJP dropped at least 42 sitting MLAs during ticket distribution. That is, 23.1 per cent of the sitting MLAs were denied a ticket in this election.
The BJP had to encounter the rebels after ticket distribution. Seven rebels filed nomination papers for the first phase of election and 12 for the second phase. The party was forced to suspend all these 19 candidates for indulging in “anti-party” activities. “These MLAs have been suspended for six years for having indulged in antiparty activities,” BJP state president CR Patil had said.
The BJP was clearly successful in dealing with the rebellion.
Morbi bridge collapse
A hanging bridge in Morbi collapsed on October 30, almost a month before the state went to polls on December 1. This was the last thing that the BJP would have wanted to face in the election-bound state so close to polls.
As many as 135 people died and 180 were injured in the tragedy. PM Modi visited the site and personally oversaw the relief and rehabilitation works.
The main opposition Congress and debutant AAP came down heavily on the BJP government. The state government looked to be on the defensive. However, it overcame the setback to register a historic win.
