Congress would have won in Gujarat if its leaders had not said wrong things: Farooq Abdullah

NC patron Farooq Abdullah has praised Congress for putting up a good show in Gujarat.

Jammu: Veteran National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah on Tuesday gave a piece of advice to Congress and said that the party would have won assembly elections in Gujarat if some of its members would not have said wrong things in the run-up to the polls.

''Not taking names but if some people wouldn't have said certain wrong things, Congress would have won in Gujarat,'' former J&K CM Farooq Abdullah said.

However, the NC patron praised Congress for putting up a good show in Gujarat.

''They managed a good show there,'' he added.

Referring to Congress party's defeat in Himachal Pradesh, Abdullah said that it was a regular pattern in the hill state.

''In Himachal Pradesh, one party unseats the other every five years, it's is nothing new,'' the VC patron said.

In #HimachalPradesh one party unseats the other every five years, its is nothing new. Not taking names but if some people wouldn't have said certain wrong things Congress would have won in #Gujarat, they managed a good show there: Former J&K CM Farooq Abdullah pic.twitter.com/T3jllcc9ae — ANI (@ANI) December 19, 2017

 On being asked if a conspiracy to defeat PM Modi in elections was made in Pakistan, Abdullah said, ''He himself went to Pakistan.''

''Pakistan never hatches any conspiracies,'' he added.

#WATCH: On being asked if a conspiracy to defeat PM Modi in elections was made in Pakistan, Farooq Abdullah says, 'he himself went to Pakistan,' adds that, 'Pakistan koi saazish nahi karta.' pic.twitter.com/HGw94ltzuX — ANI (@ANI) December 19, 2017

The reactions from Abdullah came a day after the results of the hotly contested assembly elections held in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh were declared.

The Narendra Modi-powered BJP won the elections in Gujarat, where it bagged 99 seats - much less than the 115 it had won in 2012 – and 44 seats in Himachal Pradesh where ruling Congress was ousted from power.

Overcoming initial setbacks in a seesaw battle, the BJP finally bagged 99 seats, seven more than the magic figure of 92 in a House of 182. Putting up an improved performance, the Congress secured 77 seats while its allies got three more. 

The NCP, which fought alone, got a lone seat, and Independents got two. 

In contrast, Himachal Pradesh lived up to its reputation of changing the ruler every election, as the BJP comfortably beat Congress, winning 44 of the 68 seats that were up for grabs. The Congress won 21 in the hill state where it had previously held 36 seats. Two seats went to Independents and a lone seat was taken by CPI-M.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who put up an aggressive campaign in Gujarat, camping in his home state for days, described the BJP's electoral victory in the state as "historic" as "in this age for a party to keep winning for so long" is unheard of.

In his victory speech at BJP Headquarters in Delhi, Modi said the support for the party showed that "the nation is ready for reform agenda as every citizen wants India transformed".

"I bow to the people of Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh for their affection and trust in the BJP. I assure them that we will leave no stone unturned in furthering the development journey of these states and serve the people tirelessly." In a message to his opponents, he said "let bygones be bygones" in a reference to the coming together of leaders heading caste formations to ally with Congress, to build a new Gujarat.

After Modi's speech, the Central Parliamentary Board of the BJP met at the party headquarters in Delhi and decided to depute Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and General Secretary Saroj Pandey to Gujarat for holding consultations on choosing the new Chief Minister. For Himachal Pradesh, where the chief ministerial face Prem Kumar Dhumal suffered a defeat, Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Rural Development Minister Narendra Tomar are being sent to decide on a new leader. 

While the BJP celebrated all across Gujarat and in Delhi, the 99-seat tally in Gujarat was far less than the 150 seat target set by BJP President Amit Shah and 16 less than what it got in 2012 despite intense campaigning by Modi.

The Congress, whose campaign was spearheaded by its now president Rahul Gandhi, conceded defeat but took a veiled jibe at the BJP.

"My Congress brothers and sisters, you have made me very proud. You are different than those you fought because you fought anger with dignity. You have demonstrated... the Congress' greatest strength is its decency and courage," Gandhi tweeted. 

The BJP's overall vote share in the state plunged from 60.11 percent notched in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls to 49.1 percent, indicating a sharp erosion in its support base in a state which the party considers its fortress.

The vote share of the Congress, which joined hands with Patidar leader Hardik Patel, Dalit leader Jignesh Mevani and OBC leader Alpesh Thakore, soared from 33.45 percent of 2014 to 41.4 percent.

With Himachal in its kitty now, the BJP has 14 states where it has its chief ministers and rules with coalition partners in five others.

Congress is now left with power in just four states - Punjab, Karnataka, Meghalaya and Mizoram and the Union Territory of Puducherry.

BJP's estranged ally Shiv Sena took a jibe at the former saying though the party had won, its Gujarat Model was shaken.

(With Agency inputs)