90 out of 102 for BJP in Surat

The Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) has stormed back to power in the Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) elections, winning 90 out of the total 102 seats, election officials said.

"Along with the polls to four other municipal corporations, the elections to the 102 seats of SMC were held on December 11. The counting of votes began this morning amidst tight security arrangements, and from the very beginning, BJP candidates started building a big lead on rival Congress candidates. After the first two hours itself, it became clear that the BJP was heading for a landslide victory," officials said.

Sources said that out of the total 102 seats, the BJP bagged 90 seats. Eleven seats went to the Congress, while one seat was won by an independent candidate. The BJP workers, who had gathered in large numbers outside the counting centres, erupted in celebrations as the results started pouring in.

The victorious candidates and their supporters carried out victory processions in various areas.

Surat BJP president Pravin Naik, said, "We were always confident of retaining power in SMC. The overwhelming win has actually surprised us a little bit as we were expecting to win anywhere between 70 and 75 seats. We thank the people of Surat who voted for the BJP and assure that we will continue to work for the development of the city."

Another senior BJP leader said, "The landslide victory has shown that Chief Minister Narendra Modi is the undisputed leader of the people of Gujarat. He had campaigned extensively for the party in Surat, and it is due to his charisma that the BJP has come up with such excellent results." While the BJP camp is celebrating, the situation is exactly the opposite in the Congress camp. Surat City Congress president Sunil Bhukhanwala tendered his resignation soon after the results were out.

"I have resigned from the post" Bhukhanwala said.