Thursday, Dec 8, 2022: BJP storms to power in Gujarat with a historic mandate
The BJP’s seventh victory in a row in the State came on the back of a vote share of 52.5% and an unprecedented 156 seats, as triangular contests resulted in decimation of Indian National Congress, the principal opposition party.

The party’s vote share also jumped to 52.5%. The BJP’s victory has also bettered the previous Congress record of winning 149 seats in 1985 during the Madhavsinh Solanki era of Gujarat politics.
The BJP, which bagged 99 seats in 2017 assembly election with a 49.1 per cent vote share, surpassed its previous best showing of 127 seats in 2002 when Modi was the Chief Minister.
Patidar leader Hardik Patel, Alpesh Thakor and cricketer Ravindra Jadeja’s wife Rivaba Jadeja were among the prominent winners for the BJP.
BJP also checkmated the new entrant AAP in the first-ever triangular contests in the state and pushed the Congress down to its all-time low.
With only 17 seats, the Congress has suffered its worst-ever defeat in Gujarat. The grand old party not only faces a rampaging BJP but an ambitious Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) vying for leadership of the Opposition, going forward on the road to the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
BHUPENDRA PATEL TO REMAIN CM
Gujarat state BJP president CR Patil said Bhupendra Patel, the party’s 60-year-old soft-spoken face in the state, would remain as the chief minister and his swearing-in ceremony will be held on December 12. Bhupendra Patel won the Ghatlodia seat in Ahmedabad by a huge margin of 1.92 lakh votes.
THE OPPOSITION:
INC had given a tough fight to BJP in 2017 and won 77 seats in the 182 Legislative Assembly. Its vote share fell to 28% in 2022 from 41% in 2017. But its entire loss was the vote gained by AAP. In 2022. Several state leaders of the Congress party including its former leader of opposition Paresh Dhanani lost. However, its senior-most leader in the state, Arjun Modhwadia won while firebrand Dalit leader Jignesh Mevani reversed early losses to post a victory.
With a tally of 17 seats, it fell short of 10% of the strength of the Legislative Assembly. Hence it will not be able to claim the official position of Leader of Opposition, which has the benefits of a cabinet minister.
After a high decibel campaign, AAP won only 5 seats, out of 181 it contested. But it succeeded in helping BJP win about 20 seats from Congress, by splitting the anti-BJP vote.
AAP’s Chief Ministerial face, Journalist-turned-politician Isudan Gadhvi and Gopal Italia, the party’s state president, were among the prominent losers from the party’s camp.