New Delhi:
All eyes will be on Gujarat - Prime Minister Narendra Modi's home state - when the results of the 2019 Lok Sabha Elections will be announced on Thursday, May 23. Although Gujarat is considered the citadel of the BJP, the Congress had put up a good fight in the recently held Assembly elections in the state. And I'm the changed scenario, it will be interesting to see if the BJP can repeat its 2014 performance when it won all the 26 seats in the state. In 1989, the Congress started loosing it's ground in the state and since then, the BJP has got stronger and stronger in Gujarat. In 1999, the BJP had bagged 20 of the total seats and the Congress party could manage to win only 6 seats. After that, the Congress improved its tally in the next two elections but in 2014, the Grand Old Party was completely wiped out from the state by the BJP. In this article, we will take you 20 years back and try to understand how things have played out for the Congress and the BJP in Gujarat in the last four Lok Sabha elections.
2014 Lok Sabha Elections:
Gujarat was on the forefront of 2014 Lok Sabha elections due to one single reason- Narendra Modi. The prime ministerial candidate of the BJP was the chief minister of the Gujarat and was seeking votes on the same development model he applied in the state. Even before the results were declared the mood of the nation was quit evident. People were fed up with the scam tainted UPA government and the wanted change. Narendra Modi came to power with a clear majority and Gujarat trusted him with all its 26 seats. The Congress party, for the first time, could not open its account in the state.
2009 Lok Sabha Elections:
In the absence of any regional party, the Congress and the BJP were the main contenders in Gujarat. The BJP was hoping to stop then Congress chief Sonia Gandhi's victory chariot through Gujarat, where it successfully kept the Grand Old Party out of power for 10 years. Narendra Modi was the chief minister of the state and he, to some extent, did harm the Congress in the state. The BJP, which was fighting the polls under Lal Krishna Advani's leadership, won 15 seats and the Congress emerge victorious on 11 seats. However, the party lost one seat from its 2004 tally of 12 seats. The Congress returned to power at the Centre but Narendra Modi remained the first choice of the people.
2004 Lok Sabha Elections:
Atal Bihari Vajpayee was aiming at the second consecutive term and the BJP was hopeful of winning major chunk of seats in Gujarat where the party was in power. However, the Shining India campaign, which initially looked hit among the masses, turned out to be a disappointment for the saffron party and it lost the 2004 general elections. In Gujarat, the BJP won the winning party with most seats - 14, the Congress was not far behind with 12 seats.
1999 Lok Sabha Elections:
The 13th Lok Sabha elections were held few months after the bloody Kargil war. India was reeling under political uncertainty and the BJP was hoping to end that. The saffron party even did that by forming a government at the Centre, which lasted for full five years. Gujarat played a key role in the BJP's victory. The state gave 20 of the total 26 seats it sends to the Lok Sabha to the BJP. The Congress, which was struggling to hold it's ground in the state, could win only six seats.
