By IANS
Ahmedabad : Gujarat’s tradition of bipolar politics remains intact. All political parties other than the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress failed to make any headway in the assembly elections.
According to the results announced Sunday, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), contesting elections in alliance with the Congress, won only three seats. Chandubhai Vaghasiya (Gondal), Tusharsinh Maharaul (Devgadh Baria) and Jayant Patel (Sarsa) were the winning candidates for NCP.
Chhotubhai Vasava of the Janata Dal-United (JD-U) won in Jhagadia constituency, while two independents too won.
However, Arun Mehta of the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) – contesting under a seat adjustment with the Congress – failed to win in Bhavnagar South, a seat held by the party decades ago.
The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) of Mayawati, fresh from its stunning victory in Uttar Pradesh, had fielded candidates in a majority of the 182 constituencies but failed to win any.
The Bharatiya Janashakti Party of Uma Bharati, a former BJP leader, attracted a number of BJP legislators who were unhappy with Chief Minister Narendra Modi but it too failed to make a mark in Gujarat.
The Congress or BJP have ruled the state since the Janata Party government was voted out in 1980 – barring brief periods of rule by regional formations that soon merged with the Congress.