Gandhinagar: Congress's drubbing in Gujarat poll 2022 at the hands of the BJP may deprive the grand old party of the status of opposition in the 15th Gujarat legislative assembly and the perks associated with it. In the assembly election results declared Thursday, the BJP won 156 out of the 182 seats, relegating the principal opposition Congress to just 17 seats and the new entrant Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) opened its tally bagging 5 seats.
As per the rules, a party must get at least 18 seats to qualify as the principle opposition party in the Gujarat Legislative Assembly. The Congress has fallen short by just one seat. However, the Congress may still get the status of the opposition if there is support from independents or AAP MLAs.
Also read: Modi's BJP gains brute majority in Gujarat; Congress wins Himachal; AAP goes Nat'l
Losing an opposition party status may also deprive the Congress of an office. The party may be allotted one of the three tiny offices set up on the first floor of the Legislative Assembly. If the Congress loses the office, this may also leave at least 18 employees deployed there as jobless. In the Thursday's results, the BJP equalled the record set by the CPI (M) in winning for seventh term in West Bengal.
The BJP bagged more than half of the entire votes polled in Gujarat registering a vote share of about 52 percent. The Congress vote share is at 26.9 percent, as per the Election Commission (EC). The winning streak cements Modi's bid for a third consecutive term as PM in 2024. The Congress on Thursday wrested Himachal Pradesh from the BJP as it crossed the majority mark of 35 seats in the 68-member Assembly in the hill state which maintained its tradition of not voting any incumbent government to power since 1985.
In the latest results available, the Congress won 40 seats and BJP got 25 seats and three Independents were also elected. The Aam Aadmi Party, which had contested on 67 seats, failed to open its account.
