Clash of Titans in Gujrat: With crippled Congress, AAP presence can spoil Saffron surmise

Gujarat goes to vote on December 1 and 5 with a bigger challenge for the ruling BJP which had gotten nearly half the votes last time.

The question before Bhartiya Janta Party is to stop the challenging influence of Aam Admi Party which this time is proving to be the X-factor. Congress in the BJP stated had last time succeeded in getting 7%-plus votes behind BJP with a total number of 22 seats.

As per the poll schedule announcement of dates by the Election Commission, the Gujarat Assembly elections are to to be held on December 1 and 5, with around 5 Cr crore voters exercising their right to choose the government through the ballot. And the 8^th of December will be the date which might present some good or bad surprises for the state shocking a few with smiles on many faces.

The last election saw the number of the BJP seats getting drop to its lowest tally in last twenty-seven years. Winning just 99 seats of 182 is not an encouraging news in perspective with the 2022 polls in the state. With 77 seats the Congress got around 41.44% of the votes in comparison with the arch rival BJP’s 49.05% votes of Gujrat voters.

This time again the polls in the state will be the second occasion when the BJP is contesting without Narendra Modi at helm after becoming the PM in the year 2014.

The AAP had started its groundwork five years ago for the 2022 contest as a significant change in state political scenario from 2017. Now its threatens renders a strong contest to both, the BJP as well as Congress. This is expected to hurt more to Congress by cutting its votes.

Last state poll in 2017 witnessed a direct contest between the two biggies otherwise there was no virtual presence of any other national party in the race.  Independent candidates were more successful than the NCP and BTP respectively picking up one and two seats whereas the three seats won by the independent leaders locally.

Strangely Bharatiya Janata Party got more votes and less seats in 2017 in comparison with the 2012 polls here. Modi as the CM of the state in 2012 the party won 115 seats with  47.85 per cent votes while the Congress with 61 seats and 38.93 per cent votes remained the runner up.