The BJP inched towards a record sixth straight victory in Gujarat assembly polls, and was set to evict the Congress in Himachal Pradesh, tightening the party's grip over the country's politics with general elections only 18 months away.
The Gujarat results proved to be a seesaw, with BJP and Congress running neck and neck in the morning trends. At midday, BJP pulled ahead, but by 5 p.m. it apeared that although the party will emerge victorious it will be with a slim majority.
"I assure (people of Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh) that we will leave no stone unturned in furthering the development journey of these states and serve the people tirelessly," Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in a tweet.
According to Election Commission tally at 5 p.m., the BJP had won 70 seats and was leading in 29 for a possible total of 99 in the 182-member Gujarat assembly.
At the start of the campaign, the BJP had said it was aiming for 150 seats. In the outgoing assembly it had 115 seats.
The Congress won 62 and was leading in 15 for a possible total of 77, compared to 61 previously.
Congress President Rahul Gandhi virtually conceded defeat, saying the party "accepts the verdict of the people and congratulates the new governments in both states."
He thanked his party members for fighting "anger with dignity."
The BJP called the results a vote for development pushed by Modi, who was the tireless star campaigner in both states. The Congress took solace in the fact that it bettered its tally in Gujarat, the home turf of Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah.
Shah expressed satisfaction with the result, saying that the party's vote share in Gujarat had gone up to 49.10 per cent from 47.85 per cent in 2012. The Congress vote share was 41.5 per cent in Gujarat, compared to 38.93 per cent in 2012 was 38.93 per cent.
Still, when the final results are in later today, it will be clear that another Congress-ruled state has slipped from its grasp into BJP control. It now rules only Karnataka and Punjab among the major states, besides Puducherry, Meghalaya and Mizoram. Karnataka elections are due next year.
"We have set a record in the history of the BJP by winning consecutive assembly polls... Anti-incumbency is not working there. The prime minister's popularity is intact. Amit Shah's strategy has worked," BJP vice president Shyam Jaju said.
As the victories became clear, party workers gathered in the streets and headquarters, distributing sweets and bursting firecrackers.
The BJP's dip this time was touted by the Congress as a reflection of Rahul Gandhi's efforts during the campaign, when he appeared to have improved his stature as a politician.
"The Congress' tally has gone up there, while the BJP's numbers have fallen. This is the start of Rahul Gandhi's political story," senior Congress leader Kamal Nath told reporters outside Parliament.
His colleague, Renuka Chowdary, added: "Congress has done brilliantly. Our strength has increased. Morally, it has been a brilliant intervention of Rahul Gandhi."
The BJP said what matters is the victory.
"Jo jeeta wohi Sikandar (whoever wins is the king)," said Union minister Smriti Irani, when asked if the Congress gave it a tough fight.
In Himachal Pradesh, the BJP won 17 seats and was ahead in 27 seats while the ruling Congress won 10 and was ahead in 11 in the 68-member house. A majority will come with 35 seats. In the outgoing house, Congress had 36 seats, and BJP 26.
Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, who was earlier trailing after the count of postal ballots, retained his Rajkot West seat, defeating Indranil Rajyaguru of Congress.
However, Prem Kumar Dhumal, BJP's chief ministerial candidate in Himachal Pradesh, was trailing behind Congress's Rajinder Rana in Sujanpur, after he changed his traditional constituency of Hamirpur. He was made the CM face only nine days before the pollling.
The Dec. 9 and 14 elections took place in the backdrop of GST and demonetisation, which the opposition had claimed would inflict a huge dent in Modi's popularity.
Modi and Shah campaigned vigorously, crisscrossing the state to hold scores of rallies in what appeared to be a trailer for the next Lok Sabha elections, which should be held before May 2019.
The victories establish not only the BJP's supremacy but also Modi's apparent invincibility. Yet, it also made Gandhi, who recently assumed Congress presidentiship, a serious challenger as he appeared more confident in taking on the BJP stalwarts.
Gujarat Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel is ahead in Mehsana against Congress candidate Jivabhai Patel. Mehsana was the epicentre of the Patidar reservation agitation.
The BJP has won every election in Gujarat since 1995. However, it was out of power for a couple of years due to party infighting and rebellion by Shankersinh Vaghela. BJP came back to power in 1998, and has ruled uninterrupted since then.
In Himachal Pradesh, Congress veteran and six-time Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh and his son Vikramaditya Singh are leading from Arki and Shimla(Rural) respectively.
Himachal Pradesh has a tradition of changing the government in every election.
The BJP ousted the Congress in 1990 and the Congress avenged the defeat in 1993. The BJP formed the government with the help of Himachal Vikas Congress in 1998 and the Congress was back in power in 2003. The BJP made a comeback in 2007.
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