Modi defeats Congresss Dinsha Patel by 87, 000 votes

Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi today registered a thumping victory by defeating Congress candidate, Union Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas, Dinsha Patel by 87, 000 votes.

Ahmedabad, Dec 23 : Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi today registered a thumping victory by defeating Congress' candidate, Union Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas, Dinsha Patel by 87, 000 votes.

Modi emerged victorious from Maninagar Assembly constituency.

The Bharatiya Janata Party has so far won 76 Assembly seats and is maintaining lead in another 41. The Congress party has won 37 and maintaining its lead in 22, and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) won three Assembly seats.

Meanwhile, giving all credits to Modi for BJP's victory in the Assembly polls, party president Rajnath Singh said that his party is confident of sweeping Himachal Pradesh Assembly polls too.

"Party has won the Gujarat election due to its ideology and development work done by Modi. Under the leadership of Modi, Gujarat has become a model state for the country," Singh told reporters here.

Singh also maintained that no individual "is bigger than party" and dismissed suggestions of a leadership struggle within the BJP after the party's win in Gujarat.

Unexpectedly, the BJP, which had swept Central Gujarat last time, has lost ground there. But it has made surprising gains in Saurashtra and South Gujarat that is considered the bastion of Modi's bete noire Keshubhai Patel.

ANI