Gujarat Assembly Election Result 2022: If AAP fails to make it to double digits once the final results are out, it would at the very least prove that the party was probably not strong enough to be the main challenger to Modi and the BJP in 2024.
Gujarat Assembly Election Results 2022: The three-way contest between a struggling Congress, confident BJP, and hopeful AAP turned one-way as trends emerged for the Gujarat Assembly election results in 2022. While BJP has been leading with a huge margin, AAP has failed to enter even double digits in terms of the number of seats. So could these elections be the end of AAP’s political interest in Gujarat?
When the Aam Aadmi Party began campaigning in Gujarat for the 2022 Assembly Elections, it tried every trick in the book to engage the Gujarati crowd. From holding door-to-door campaigns to nukkad sabhas in various villages, AAP entered the election arena in Gujarat with a bang and much ahead of its competition.
The Kejriwal-led party had claimed to replicate the national capital’s education model in Gujarat and bring better medical facilities in mohalla clinics. Kejriwal had also flung copies of domestic electric bills from Punjab showing ‘zero’ amount after his party came to power in March. Even though BJP has been in power for 27 years in Gujarat, AAP was quite confident of making a strong debut in the state Assembly election. However, towards the last leg of campaigning, AAP seemed to have lost interest and its relative lack of urgency started becoming evident. This could be one of the reasons why AAP has been unable to get a strong foothold in the Gujarat Assembly election 20222.
It doesn’t mean that AAP didn’t try to do its best. The party has put forth some of its best candidates for the Gujarat Assembly Election 2022. To name a few, Isudan Gadhvi is contesting from the Khambhalia constituency which comes under Devbhoomi Dwarka district. Hopeful Gadhvi had ahead of the Gujarat Assembly results said that his party will win more than 100 seats. Gujarat AAP chief Gopal Italia, who is contesting from Katargam in the Surat district, was caught in a controversy when he had reportedly commented on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his mother. Kejrwal had dismissed all claims.
On the other hand, we are all aware that Gujarat is Narendra Modi’s home turf. Yet, the BJP has never been complacent in its approach. The Prime Minister himself held rallies in places where BJP needed a boost. He visited the Somnath temple, where BJP had lost four Gir-Somnath assembly seats in 2017. He also went to Amreli where BJP had lost 5 assembly seats then.
This non-complacent attitude could be one of the factors why the BJP has been in power in the state for 27 consecutive years. It is quite evident that the BJP upped its ante a few months back and refused to take it easy.
In the 2017 elections, Congress had come closest to breaking its winning streak in Gujarat. In comparison, AAP’s effort seemed more like touch and go. This could be because of Modi’s secure position among Gujarati voters. With BJP ruling at the Centre, the idea of electoral stability gave the party an edge over other contenders.
If AAP fails to make it to double digits once the final results are out, it would at the very least prove that the party was probably not strong enough to be the main challenger to Modi and the BJP in 2024. However, if it secures 6 seats and makes its mark as a national party, it could also establish Arvind Kejriwal as a genuine pan-national leader.
