Although BJP failed to beat senior Congress leader, Ahmed Patel in the Rajya Sabha polls in Gujarat, the ruling party believes it will win in the Assembly polls with huge margin. In an interview with Hindustan Times, Gujarat chief minister, Vijay Rupani said Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be “the face” of the November assembly polls and the BJP will win over 150 seats.
“We will get 150 plus seats (in the 182-member assembly). We have won all the elections that have taken place in the past one-and-a-half years. In the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, we won all 26 seats in Gujarat. In UP, we led on 310 Vidhan Sabha seats in 2014; we finally won 325. This means that Modi magic, people’s faith in Modi, continues. In Gujarat, we led on 160 seats (in 2014); so I am saying 150,” he said.
“When Modiji was CM, we got 121 seats; now that he is PM, we will get more. There is a vertical split in the Congress. 14 MLAs quit (voted against) the Congress. Shankarsinh’s (Vaghela) exit is a big blow to the Congress. Amul Dairy chairman Ramsinh is a six-term MLA. Raghavji Patel, a big name in Saurashtra, is an influential Patidar leader. The BJP had a lot to gain in this election,” he added.
When asked about the veteran Congress leader Vaghela who quit the Congress because of his chief ministerial desires and what can BJP offer him, he said, “He (Vaghela) will not join the BJP although other MLAs (who quit the Congress) will. Modiji will be our face because, in elections, pictures of the national leadership are used. Won’t the Congress put up pictures of Sonia Gandhi and Rahul? We will also use Modiji’s photo. The BJP will gain from Modiji’s popularity. In UP, Yogiji was declared (CM) later. Votes came in Modiji’s name.”
