Gujarat Mandate For BJP's Politics Of 'Vishwas' & 'Vikas': Maharashtra Chief Minister

Nagpur:  Speaking on the side-lines of a predicted victory for the BJP in the states of Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh assembly elections, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said that the mandate for the BJP was because of the party's politics of "vishwas" and "vikas". "The BJP came up with the politics of vishwas (trust) and vikas (development) for Gujarat and people responded to it positively. The Opposition tried to spread wrong messages against us, but we prevailed because of the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and national president Amit Shah," he said.

Mr Fadnavis was speaking to reporters outside the Maharashtra state assembly.

The Maharashtra Chief Minister also said that it was the common man's trust in PM Modi that led to the BJP getting 50 per cent votes in the Gujarat elections and retaining power even after 22 years.

"It was the common man's trust that Modi can bring peace and prosperity. It is very important that even after 22 years, a party gets almost 50 per cent votes of the people and retains power...It is very significant," he said.

Mr Fadnavis also said that the BJP's win in Himachal Pradesh is the 19th state in the country that it has won.

"The results are a stamp on the leadership of Modi and Shah in the party and in the national politics," he said.

When asked about the BJP winning less number of seats in Gujarat as compared to the 2012 assembly polls, Mr Fadnavis said, "The BJP has won 49.9 per cent votes so far. It is a very significant win for the party."

Mr Fadnavis' comments assume significance as the BJP shares a strained relationship with its ally, the Shiv Sena and come after the Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray congratulated Rahul Gandhi for "fighting the Gujarat poll battle without bothering about the result."

Reacting to exit poll predictions earlier, Mr Thackeray had said that the ground reality in Gujarat was very different from the poll predictions of the BJP winning in the state.

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