Gujarat assembly election 2017 results: Congress did well as it played caste card, says BJP

Though the BJP crossed halfway mark in Gujarat, it has certainly not been a cakewalk for the saffron party.

Though the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has managed to cross the halfway mark in its stronghold Gujarat, it has certainly not been a cakewalk for the saffron party, whose campaign was spearheaded by Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself.

When the trends for all the seats in the state came, the BJP was leading on 104 seats while the Congress was leading on 72. And the ruling party did not remain unfazed with the verdict of Gujarat.

The BJP blamed the loss of seats, in comparison to 2012 Gujarat Assembly elections, on caste factor, accusing the Congress party of playing the caste factor to mislead people of Gujarat.

Speaking to Zee News, senior leader and BJP spokesperson GVL Narasimha Rao said that the Congress party distracted the voters in Gujarat with the issue of caste.

“Since the beginning of the campaign in Gujarat, the Congress has played the caste card. And it divided people on the basis of caste. That was the reason for the Congress to succeed in the state,” said Rao.

However, the Congress refuted the charges saying it was a detailed manifesto, talking about the real issues of Gujarat, that led to the better performance of the Congress party in comparison to 2012.