Sunday, December 23, 2007 (Ahmedabad)

The newly elected BJP MLAs in Gujarat are meeting in Gandhinagar on Monday to elect Narendra Modi as the leader of the Legislature Party, paving the way of his becoming the Chief Minister for the third time.The Parliamentary Board, the highest decision making body of BJP, cleared the name of Modi who steered the Saffron party to a third consecutive term in Gujarat at its meeting.

Tomorrow morning the BJP MLAs are meeting in Gandhinagar to officially elect their leader. Elections were contested under the leadership of Modi and naturally he will be elected as their leader," BJP spokesperson Arun Jaitley told reporters after the meeting.

The Parliamentary Board gave its seal of approval for Modi's name, Jaitley, the General Secretary in charge of Gujarat, said.The central leadership is sending Jaitley and party Vice President Venkaiah Naidu as observers for the legislative party meeting.Victory will change national politics:

ModiDescribing the outcome of the Gujarat Assembly elections as historic, Chief Minister Narendra Modi said it would bring qualitative change in the prevailing Indian politics."This historical verdict of people of Gujarat will bring qualitative change in the prevailing Indian politics. The people have approved of the stable, efficient and transparent government which enhances their feeling of security," a BJP release, quoting Modi, said on Sunday.

The people of Gujarat have focused only on development and once again it has been proved that they have trusted BJP as a partner in this march towards development. People have approved the work done by the government and have positively voted for continued growth and development, he said.

Thanking the people of Gujarat for his win, Chief Minister Narendra Modi Modi said that it was a positive vote against anti-Gujarat forces. Modi said that BJP's triumph was secured in the face of negative tactics and "new" words. People of Gujarat have rejected the "negative" forces and voted in favour of positive politics. "The people of Gujarat have defeated all "anti-Gujarat forces" and supported the mantra of "jeetega Gujarat" (Gujarat will win)," said the leader.

Modi said now that elections are over, everyone should unite to work for a better Gujarat.Later addressing a party workers' rally, Modi said "we have won continuously since 1990"."This win has brought a message of humility for us," he said adding the workers' euphoria was natural as it was their hard work which had earned the party the victory.Modi wins Maninagar seat Narendra Modi won from Maninagar Assembly seat by a margin of over 86,000 votes against his nearest Congress candidate Dinsha Patel.

At the end of 20 rounds of counting Modi secured 1,38,668 votes while Dinsha Patel got 52,339 votes.BJP gets majorityThe final results showed that the ruling BJP has won in 117 out of 182 constituencies today. The Congress succeeded in only 63 while 'Others' were victorious in three. In the last elections, BJP had won 127 seats while Congress had 51.Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh called up Modi, congratulating him on electoral victory. Modi, who will be sworn in as Gujarat Chief Minister for the third time, also created a record in the BJP.

He is likely to be sworn-in on December 27. By leading Gujarat for a second successive and spectacular win in the Assembly polls, the 57-year old leader has achieved a feat unparalleled in the saffron brotherhood.No other BJP Chief Minister had so far been able to beat the anti-incumbency factor for the second time in a row. Even before results were officially out, BJP workers kicked off celebrations at the party's office in Ahmedabad bursting crackers.As the counting progressed, Modi sent SMSes claiming he was the "CM and will be CM forever". He clarified that "CM" for him meant "Common Man".

"I am chief minister, I will remain chief minister," said Modi to NDTV. "For me, CM means common man," he added.Parties reactBJP spokesperson Ravishankar Prasad said "the victory is the victory of the entire BJP of which Modi is the Man of the Match. We are proud of his performance." But the Opposition did not take Modi's imminent victory very well. "Sometimes Fascists do win and repeat their wins," said Kapil Sibal, Union Science and Technology minister, after the leads came in.

"If the Modi's style of function continues, then I don't see a scope for the lotus. Every leader of the BJP will be made to look like pygmies," said Suresh Mehta, rebel leader.Congress conceded defeat when its spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi congratulated Modi for a "remarkable and great" victory. "I don't grudge him the victory."However, he maintained the victory does not remove the blot or invalidate all that happened during the post-Godhra riots under his Chief Ministership.

Former BJP leader Uma Bharti has her own take on Modi's chances of making a mark at the Centre. According to her, Modi will not be acceptable to the BJP allies as a national leader.BJP celebratesMeanwhile, BJP workers began celebrating by distributing sweets and bursting crackers even as results continued to pour in.

Large number of activists of the party gathered outside the BJP's headquarter at Khanpur, and burst crackers and danced to the drumbeats.BJP workers in other parts of the state have also begun to celebrate in anticipation of the party's victory.Party activists were taking out rallies in Surat, Rajkot and Vadodara to express their happiness over the excellent performance of BJP in the assembly elections.

Advani upbeatHailing the BJP's "spectacular" victory in Gujarat, its senior leader L K Advani today said the vote against "vilification" campaign by the Congress was a "turning point" for national politics, signalling the party's "comeback" ahead of next general elections.Advani equated the Gujarat polls to 1971 general election "in which entire opposition came together on an anti-Indira Gandhi platform" and said "today is a historic day for Indian democracy".Issuing a statement soon after the Narendra Modi-led party emerged victorious, he said by winning the renewed mandate in Gujarat, "my party has conclusively shown" that the people of the state voted for "good governance, development and a leadership that delivers".

"State assembly elections are quite frequent in our country but rarely does the people's verdict in a particular state become a 'turning point' for national politics," Advani said."The BJP's spectacular victory in Gujarat today is indeed a turning point because it signals the BJP's comeback as the frontrunner in the next Parliamentary elections," said the party's Prime Ministerial candidate. "Respectful mandate"Senior BJP leader Arun Jaitley on Sunday said Modi has secured a "respectful mandate" and that it is a rare election where a party has won on the plank of "good governance and development."Jaitley, who is BJP's in-charge of Gujarat, said BJP's victory can be attributed to Modi's "immense credibility."

"Modi provided the necessasry edge to BJP's campaign," he said.Jaitley said the BJP was inherently strongly in Gujarat and had a sound organisational base in the state.To a query about any role for Modi at the national level, Jaitley merely said Modi is the BJP's "foremost prominent leader." And in the midst of counting, there was a security alert for Modi, with information of a threat of a suicide attack by the Lashkar targeting the BJP leader. His security has now been increased.

By Shamsheer (ND)