Mohammed Ali Shabbir, the leader of Opposition in TSLC today said that outcome of the Gujarat assembly polls had signaled writing on the wall was that Modi’s charisma and BJP’s were on the decline and gradually eroding.
Describing Gujarat poll verdict as a historic and a maiden victory for Rahul Gandhi as a Congress president, Shabbir said that in no state elections had a Prime Minister gone round campaigning like Narender Modi. ‘Though both Modi and Amit Shah claimed 150 seats, their false bravado was visible all through as they knew in heart of hearts that the BJP score could be lesser than 2012 ‘.
He said Modi had toured Gujarat for more than any other PM and also addressed over 37-39 public meetings and even brought in Pakistan into election campaign futilely as he and Amit Shah knew very well that they were on losing grounds in many areas where demonetization, Patidar, Dalit and Muslim voters had polarised.
He said the voters were confused and there was panic in BJP ranks after Rahul Gandhi had exposed the political gimmickry and deceitful acts of Modi. “BJP might have won technically, but the popular votes had sided with the Congress’, he said.
Shabbir said that it was unprecedented that Gujarat had recorded a huge number of NOTA (none to anyone) votes, as many as 5.2 lakh NOTA votes this time. ‘ All these speaks volumes about the protests and allegations of tampering of the EVMS used by the Election Commission’. The NOTA and electoral trends display now there was something seriously wrong in the electoral process and needed to be addressed before the polling process in Gujarat ” he added.
The LOP said the Congress party under the stewardship of Rahul Gandhi had morally swept the Gujarat polls and also improved its strength of 2012. ‘Modi’s gimmicks like Mani Shankar supari in Pakistan, below the belt comments on farmer PM, Manmohan Singh, money flowed like a river were all a psychological warfare on Congress and an attempt to sentimentally attract the voters’.
It is clear that the outcome in Gujrat has shaken BJP and that its election strategy of maligning Congress and is leadership has utterly flopped as people have not trusted the BJP fully. (NSS)