There are very few times you can see Modi in clothers other than his saffron kurta and today was one special day he felt it was the right time to do so. He was seen in a golden kurta that signified his prosperity in the state after he was elected the third time in the Gujarat assembly elections. He even eschewed his stole with the lotus.
He managed to seize the game by large from the Congress which never really had a chance even from the beginning. With a comfortable and healthy margin, he was pronounced the victor of the elections and would soon assume the CMs office for the third consecutive time, this time with a bigger mandate, becoming the longest ruling leader of Gujarat in power since 1998. Ahmedabad welcomed him with arms wide open and two large stages set anticipating him speak on the elated occasion.
He had won 121 seats in the assembly of Gujarat which has 182 seats which is four more than the total tally of 117 seats last year. Though he required only 92 for form the government, he was all too happy with the excess he made. But the story doesn't end there for him. As his supporters claim, this is only the trailer for the big picture in 2014 general elections.
While leaders of the party opined that Modi will have a bigger say in the party after his performance, the supporters say, "This is the trailer, watch the film in 2014" and "CM in 2012, PM in 2014" and even "Hit & Fit for PM."
He first met his mother in the afternoon where there were hundreds of his supporters who met him and congratulated him on his victory. His mother too was hopeful that he would be the PM of India and make India proud. The party brass in Delhi however reckons its too early to be talking of his candidacy for the general elections.
He received the votes of the party president, Nitin Gadkari, who believes "Gujarat will continue to flourish under the leadership of Narendra Modi.". Another party leader, Ravi Shankar Prasad said, "Modi bhai has always been an important leader in the BJP... We are not a dynastic party which is led by a Yuvaraj. We function in a pure democratic fashion."
Arun Jaitley added that this was not a victory of just the election but a vote for his leadership pointing out that the votes were secular disregarding all the caste and communal differences.
However, the the world outside Gujarat was not all beautiful for Modi, and JD(U) pounced on the opportunity to use this as their leverage. They said, "Gujarat is not the full country. Muslims in Gujarat may have voted out of fear. We have made our stand clear, the JD(U) wants a man of credentials." They questioned why his extensive and exhaustive campaigns in Himachal have not worked out positively.
Other leaders like Chidambaram opined that though on paper, BJP won the elections, the real victory was for Congress which managed to contain Modi to a modest 117 seats (at that point of time he had only 117 which is the exact same count as that of last time). Modi however soon won four more seats. Maninagar constituency gave him a resounding with of more than 86k majority over Swetha Bhatt of Congress, the wife of IPS office who had a few differences with Modi.
The BJP rebel Keshubhai Patel however won from his constituency Visavadar, but the Gujarat Parivartan Party (GPP) could make no damage as expected in Saurashtra. Modi met with Mr Patel seeking blessings after giving him sweets.
Following the majority in the elections, Modi tweeted, "no need to look behind".
(AW- Anil)
