By IANS
Ahmedabad/New Delhi : Thousands of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) workers celebrated wildly Sunday in Gujarat and in the national capital as the party moved towards a clear victory in the state assembly.
Amid indications that the BJP would end up with around 110 seats in the 182-member legislature, BJP workers waving the party’s saffron-and-green flags and beating drums gathered at BJP offices all across the state.
Similar scenes were seen at the BJP head office in the heart of New Delhi too.
Chief Minister Narendra Modi, the hero of the BJP’s performance against great odds, remained firmly shut in his house at Gandhinagar. But SMS messages sent on his behalf to BJP activists said: “I am CM and will remain the CM.”
The noisiest celebrations took place at the state BJP headquarters in Ahmedabad’s Khanpur area where over 1,000 people men and women burst crackers. Many distributed sweets – and consumed them with visible relish.
“I am sure we will get a comfortable majority,” said state BJP spokesman Vijay Rupani.
Om Prakash Mathur, another party leader, called the results – the final tally is expected to be formally announced by evening — “a victory for the people of Gujarat, a victory for the leadership of Narendra Modi”.
BJP sources said Modi was closeted with his aides and was expected to arrive at the BJP office at about 2.30 p.m.
In stark contrast, there were few party workers at the Congress office across the river Sabarmati. Outside, the open ground was deserted but for the presence of a large number of journalists.
In New Delhi, hundreds of BJP members and supporters danced to drum beats outside the party headquarters, burst firecrackers and distributed sweets. They also shouted slogans hailing Modi, BJP leader L.K. Advani and the party.
Many of them made fun of BJP dissidents in Gujarat who had been expected to cause major losses to the party in the Dec 11 and 16 elections.