Lessons from a narrow win: How Modi helped BJP avoid a disaster in Gujarat

Gujarat shows that Modi and Shah play to win. The rules are there to be followed when they suit, and broken when that helps

According to three TV channels, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ruling party has won the assembly election in Gujarat.Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won more than 100 seats of the 182 assembly seats in Modi’s home state, the projections by India Today, CNN News18 and TimesNow said. A party needs 92 seats to rule.Official results are yet to be declared by the Election Commission. This writer discusses the implications of the Gujarat verdict and the lessons to be learnt by both the BJP and the Congress.

The big whoosh you hear today is probably the collective sigh of relief in