News18.com Daybreak | Gujarat, Himachal Election Results and Other Stories You May Have Missed

The BJP has won both in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh, but there were too many lessons to learn from this election.

Addressing BJP workers at the party headquarters in Delhi, PM Modi said that the verdict in the two states is a backing for the Good and Service Tax (GST). “In the history of BJP it’s an unprecedented election. Political parties nowadays find it difficult to win after 5 years. But Gujarat is an exception. Gujarat wins every election since past 22 years," he said. He ended the speech with the slogan of “jeetega bhai jeetega, vikas hi jeetega". In a 30-minute speech, Modi used the word ‘Vikas’ 25 times.

Narendra Modi still rules polling booths, but Rahul Gandhi’s challenge is now for real. Next year, the party will face elections in some big states like Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chattisgarh. Just like Gujarat, Congress is pitted against the BJP in all these provinces. 2018 promises to be an interesting year for politics.

The small margin of victory was a big wake-up call for Narendrabhai-Amitbhai, in that it was so very hard won. For the very first time, the Congress has shown signs of revival and party workers have reason to regard Rahul Gandhi as a credible leader rather than an abject failure, which bodes well for the future. Over to Karnataka. For Modi, the signal is even clearer. Proceed, but with extreme caution.

It was an impressive fight by Rahul Gandhi, but his party fell short of a victory. So close, yet so far is not the way Indian political narratives are written. So what did Rahul miss in his Gujarat campaign? A strong regional satrap.

One area where the BJP’s magic did not work was the Prime Minister’s own hometown of Vadnagar. Here’s why.

Did BJP President's management tips help win Gujarat election? BJP President Amit Shah, the architect of the party's 6th victory in the Gujarat Assembly Elections, talks about his mantras in this News18.com exclusive.

The Gujarat election result reminded us of the latest instalment of Star Wars: ‘The Last Jedi’. Why, you ask? Find out here.(Get a fresh dose of the news that matters, delivered directly to your inbox, every morning. The perfect way, to get you started and informed, for the day ahead. Subscribe to News18 Daybreak here.)