This Article is From Dec 18, 2017

Who's Likely To Win Gujarat Elections And Why - Prannoy Roy's Analysis: Highlights

The 2017 Gujarat elections will have major repercussions on national politics as a bellwether for the 2019 general elections

The 2017 Gujarat elections will have major repercussions on national politics.

New Delhi: Gujarat voted this month in two phases for a crucial state election, results of which are due tomorrow. Many analysts are calling this election a pivotal moment: a hugely important election not only for Gujarat but also for national politics. A win for the BJP will revive the momentum for Prime Minister Narendra Modi and party chief Amit Shah in the run up to the next Lok Sabha elections. A defeat for the BJP in Gujarat could have dramatic repercussions - and be a major roadblock for the BJP's aim to be re-elected at the centre - two years from now. For the Congress, the election will set the tone for Rahul Gandhi's tenure as party chief - a post that has been on its way to him for years but one that he took on only this week. So this Gujarat election is as big as it gets - both for Gujarat and for political equations in the entire country.
 

Follow NDTV's special coverage as Prannoy Roy and his team analyse the Gujarat election - who's likely to win and why:

Dec 17, 2017 22:12 (IST)
That's all for now folks, tune in to NDTV 24x7 tomorrow at 7 am when the panel returns to take you through the exciting day of counting. And of course, log on to NDTV.com or the NDTV smartphone app for the fastest, most obsessively-detailed coverage of the results for the 2017 Gujarat assembly elections.

Dec 17, 2017 22:04 (IST)
But there's a mandatory disclaimer of course. These are based on exit polls and such projections based on exit polls in the US gave Donald Trump only a 10 per cent chance of winning, says Prannoy Roy.
Dec 17, 2017 22:03 (IST)
And what are the possible scenarios?

Dec 17, 2017 22:02 (IST)
So who wins? Based on exit polls, our projections show this.

Dec 17, 2017 21:58 (IST)
The "fear factor" of admitting not voting for the BJP is very much real, says Aarti R Jerath.

Dec 17, 2017 21:56 (IST)
But despite its high, the three reasons that should worry the BJP.

Dec 17, 2017 21:52 (IST)
The Congress fell into the BJP's trap of projecting itself as the Hindu party, distancing itself from 85% of the vote in India, says Aarti R Jerath.

Dec 17, 2017 21:50 (IST)
The PM stopped talking about development towards the end of campaign, Aarti R Jerath. He campaigned on Gujarati pride, Pakistan, polarisation, etc, she said.

Dec 17, 2017 21:48 (IST)
The BJP tried to consolidate other castes to counter the Patels swinging away from it, says Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay.

Dec 17, 2017 21:46 (IST)
The only demographic Congress is ahead of the BJP is the 18-24 section, though only by 1%, says Shekhar Gupta.

Dec 17, 2017 21:45 (IST)
In 2012, BJP was challenged by another big Patel figure - Keshubhai. But it did not have any impact, says Seshadri Chari. Not all Patels are enamoured by Hardik Patel's call for reservation.

Dec 17, 2017 21:42 (IST)
Which party counts on which section

Dec 17, 2017 21:41 (IST)
Another look at the swings since 2012.

Dec 17, 2017 21:40 (IST)
Hardik Patel made a lot of fun of PM Modi and Amit Shah and managed to get away with it, says Sreenivasan Jain.

Dec 17, 2017 21:39 (IST)
Hardik Patel has a curious fondness for Balasaheb Thackeray; he told me, without holding any office Balasaheb could get a CM and PM to have a meal with him at his home, says Shekhar Gupta.

Dec 17, 2017 21:36 (IST)
The seats in Gujarat which have got every result accurate won by the winner every time since almost 1980. Keep an eye on these seats on ndtv.com on counting day to get a clear picture of which way the vote will go.

Dec 17, 2017 21:32 (IST)
How caste and other factors could swing the vote in Gujarat.

Dec 17, 2017 21:30 (IST)
Rajiv Gandhi picked up a series of state leaders in their 30s and cultivated state leadership. Sonia did not do that, says Shekhar Gupta.

Dec 17, 2017 21:29 (IST)
Congress did have a strong leadership during Nehru's time. The decline started probably with Indira Gandhi, says Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay.

Dec 17, 2017 21:28 (IST)
But even if they did, few could take on the might of PM Modi, says Aarti R Jerath.
Dec 17, 2017 21:27 (IST)
Congress has local leadership problem, says Sreenivasan Jain.

Dec 17, 2017 21:26 (IST)
Not having strong Chief Ministerial candidate when you're fighting a Gujarati PM was a big gap for the Congress, says Prannoy Roy.

Dec 17, 2017 21:25 (IST)
BJP's organisation is far superior than the Congress; it's like Real Madrid vs a local-level club, says Sreenivasan Jain. "Mohan Bagan?" says somebody, helpfully.

Dec 17, 2017 21:23 (IST)
Congress co-opted the new young leaders coming up and rode piggyback on the resentment fanned by them, says Aarti R Jerath. It doesn't have the strength in most states to fight an election on its own merit, she says.

Dec 17, 2017 21:22 (IST)
PM Narendra Modi has tried to highlight his tenure as Chief Minister than his role as Prime Minister, says Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay.

Dec 17, 2017 21:20 (IST)
So, the three reasons why the Congress should worry are these

Dec 17, 2017 21:16 (IST)
Furthermore, most exit polls underestimated the winner in the past.

Dec 17, 2017 21:16 (IST)
Next, why the Congress should worry.

Dec 17, 2017 21:15 (IST)
A very different thing this election compared to last few big state polls was that the BJP this time was incumbent, Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay says.

Dec 17, 2017 21:14 (IST)
Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay, however, says more men coming out to vote can be seen as a sign of their anger against the BJP.

Dec 17, 2017 21:13 (IST)
There was some sense on the ground that the Congress couldn't fully tap into the resentment  against the BJP.

Dec 17, 2017 21:11 (IST)
Another reason: More women vote for the BJP than men.



But fewer women are coming to vote.

Dec 17, 2017 21:09 (IST)
The bookies also see a thinner win than last time for the BJP.

Dec 17, 2017 21:09 (IST)
Why the BJP worries.

Dec 17, 2017 21:07 (IST)
Dorab Sopariwala says in Gujarat there is no leader as dominant as PM Modi and Amit Shah. They can't afford to lose this one.

Dec 17, 2017 21:06 (IST)
The NDTV poll of exit polls conducted by other networks showed the BJP winning with 116 seats.

Dec 17, 2017 21:04 (IST)
Seshadri Chari says more than who wins, it's important why will one lose. Says Congress' EVM narrative stems from an expectation of loss.

Dec 17, 2017 21:03 (IST)
Shekhar Gupta says a different thing this time than the last few Gujarat elections was that the opposition Congress seemed to put up a fight. But if you look at the numbers, it was largely a forgone conclusion that BJP will win, he says.

Dec 17, 2017 20:59 (IST)
Prannoy Roy is joined by Dorab Sopariwala, Shekhar Gupta, BJP's Seshadari Chari, journalists Aarti R Jerath and Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay.


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