Scores of BJP supporters came out on the roads in Noida amid slight rains Thursday evening, with traders distributing sweets to celebrate Mahesh Sharma's victory from Gautam Buddh Nagar seat in the Lok Sabha polls.
City's popular Sector 18 market remained the hub of celebrations where 350 kg laddoos were ordered by local market associations, their office-bearers said.
The traders' community, considered a traditional supporter of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), hoped that Sharma would continue to work for the market and remove obstacles that the businessmen face.
"Sharma has been connected with the public and that has ensured his victory with a thumping margin. I hope he continues to work the same way and also convey our concerns at the Centre to resolve whatever problems we face," Sector 18 Market Association president Sushil Kumar Jain said.
President of the Savitri Market Association Rahul Gupta described the victory as "an awesome" feat but hoped the new government would restrict online sales by foreign-based multinational companies in order to help local markets.
"Often the products sold online turns out to be fake. The new government needs to bring in greater check of online sales. Also that way the local markets like ours will get a boost and the several people who work as daily wagers will get job security," he said.
Softare engineer Amit Gupta, who had prefixed 'Chowkidar' title on his Twitter profile to express support to Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the run-up to the Lok Sabha polls, said the BJP's is a victory of "democracy and reply to politics of casteism".
"It's a mandate for development and we hope Mahesh Sharma ji will take Noida to further heights," he added.
BJP leader and Jewar MLA Dhirendra Singh said it is a victory for the agenda of "development and nationalism" and a "lesson to politics of casteism".
"We were expecting a good result and appealing to voters banking on development works. There was some resentment among a section of voters over local issues, but even they have supported the vision of (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi ji," he said.
"Modi has been the "saarthi" (charioteer) for the candidates. The Centre's public welfare schemes like Ujjwala have helped rural population and that has converted into votes. This was the electorate which was being considered supporter of the alliance (BSP-SP coalition), but the schemes have reached them and got diverted," Singh told PTI.
He remarked, "There is no alternative to Modi."
According to Election Commission data at 9.30 pm, Sharma with 8.30 lakh votes was leading by a margin of 3.37 lakh votes against nearest rival, BSP's Satveer Nagar, who got 4.93 lakh votes.
Sharma secured 59.64 per cent of the total votes counted till 10.40 pm, up from the 50 per cent he had got in 2014 Lok Sabha polls, the data showed.
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