NewsGate Press Network

The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) created history in Gujarat state elections by winning 156 out of 182 seats and retaining power.

Among prominent candidates from the saffron party who registered victory in their respective seats are Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel from Ghatlodia and Hardik Patel from Viramgam.

The CM has retained the seat trouncing his nearest rival Congress candidate A Yajnik by a massive margin of over 1.9 lakhs votes. Patel, who was leading since initial rounds of the counting, polled 2,13,530 votes, while Yajnik secured 21,267 votes.

Hardik Patel won by a margin of 51,707 votes defeating AAP’s AA Thakor.

Opposition Congress which was eyeing to return to power, bagged 16 seats and is leading in one seat.

Congress nominee and Dalit leader Jignesh Mevani, who was trailing from Vadgam in the early rounds of counting, trounced BJP’s MJ Vaghela by a margin of 4,928 votes and retained the seat.

New entrant, Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP won five seats.

AAP’s Isudan Gadhvi, whom the party announced as its CM candidate, lost from Khambhalia constituency. BJP’s Ayar Mulubhai Hardasbhai Bera defeated Gadhvi by a margin of 18,475 votes.

Samajwadi Party won one seat, while Independent won three seats, the poll panel data showed.

The BJP had won 99 seats and the Congress 77 constituencies in 2017.