Gujarat election results 2012: Narendra Modi baiters bite the dust

Zeenews Bureau

Ahmedabad: As Narendra Modi stamped his authority over Gujarat on Thursday with a third consecutive win in the Assembly Elections, those opposing his impending prime ministerial bid now have foot in their mouth. The BJP appeared set to return to power with a landslide – over 120 of the total 182 seats. If this turns out to be the final result, then the BJP would have even bettered its 2007 tally. Prior to the counting day, many within the BJP had said that only a better tally than 2007 elections would add strength to Modi’s PM bid. They had stressed that even if Modi wins but the victory margin is lower than the last time, his bid would then suffer a setback. However, Modi has silenced all his critics. Even though many BJP leaders have sought to describe the Gujarat win as a modest one and a collective victory, including Rajiv Pratap Rudy, none can dispute the fact that if not for Modi, the win would not have been a landslide. And there are many within the BJP who have openly endorsed Modi for PM, including Smriti Irani. From today onwards, it would be difficult for the top BJP leadership to ignore Modi’s candidature for the PM’s post any further. Also, in Gujarat, all his baiters, including Keshubhai Patel, IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt’s wife Shweta Bhatt, Arjun Modhwadia and Dr Kanubhai Kalsaria, have in some way or the other bitten dust. While former BJP leader and state CM Keshubhai Patel’s GPP has managed to win only two seats, state Congress chief Modhwadia has lost election. Shweta Bhatt, who fought election on a Congress ticket, and BJP rebel Dr Kanubhai Kalsaria too have met the same fate.