Narendra Modi may end up with a few seats short of 117, his last tally in a House of 182. So from the trends, a few things are clear:
1. There is no landslide for Modi. In fact, he's struggling to get to his last tally.
2. The setback - if it can be called that, as Modi will form the government - is for the BJP. If Modi had played nice with Keshubhai Patel and not forced him into forming the Gujarat Parivartan party, he might have ensured a better showing in Saurashtra.
3. In any case, it is not Modi's victory - such as it is - but the BJP's. For you cannot expect that Keshubhai's defection has necessairly made him BJP neutral. He is still very much BJP.
4. The Congress got 59 seats in 2007. It may end up marginally higher at around 65 or 67. More important, it has made a dent into some BJP seats. Is the Modi voodoo in Gujarat over?
5. South Gujarat saw a 6% increase in turnout. In most other states, a high turnout is associated with anti-incumbency. In South Gujarat it was a pro-incumbency vote. Clearly, Gujarat - as usual - defies countrywide political trends. if it hadn't been for South Gujarat, BJP's assembly tally might not have crossed 100.
