The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is retaining its power in Gujarat for a record seventh straight term, after heading for a two-thirds majority. However, it is the new entrant Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) victory on five seats, with a vote-share closing to 13 per cent, meant that it is now recognised as a national party by the Election Commission of India (ECI).
“Congratulations to all the workers of the Aam Aadmi Party and all the countrymen on becoming a national party,” party’s national convenor and Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal said.
The Congress failed to replicate its creditable performance of the last assembly elections in 2017. But a good showing by the AAP helped its supremo and Kejriwal cement his place as a key challenger to Prime Minister Modi in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
The AAP had carried out a high-decibel campaign to make it a three-way fight for the first time in Gujarat where the Congress and the BJP have been traditional rivals. Emboldened by the victory in the Delhi municipal elections, the AAP had hoped its politics of welfarism would be accepted by the people in Gujarat.
