The BJP is leading in 95 seats while the Congress nominees are ahead in 68 seats, as per the latest trends available for 169 seats after two hours of counting for the Assembly polls in Gujarat. Election Commission figures show the NCP, the Bhartiya Tribal Party and an independent candidate are leading in five seats together. Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, who earlier trailed behind his Congress rival Indranil Rajyaguru after the counting of postal ballots, is now leading in Rajkot West seat.
Among the other BJP candidates, Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel is leading over Congress candidate Jivabhai Patel by 3,000 votes in Mehsana. Congress leader Arjun Modhwadia, who was trailing in Porbandar, has surged ahead of state fisheries minister Babubhai Bokhiriya. Congress’ Alpesh Thakor, a prominent OBC leader, is also leading in Radhanpur seat against Lavingji Thakor of BJP. However, Shaktisinh Gohil of Congress is trailing against BJP’s Virendrasinh Jadeja from Mandvi seat.
State BJP chief Jitu Vaghani is leading over Dilipsinh Gohil of Congress in Bhavnagar West. The elections for 182-seat Assembly were held on December 9 and 14, after an acrimonious campaign, which was dominated by a face-off between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Congress president Rahul Gandhi. In the 2012 elections, the BJP had won 115 seats while the Congress emerged victorious on 61 seats. The BJP has been in power in the state since 1995, winning consecutive elections in the home state of Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah.
