The Bharatiya Janata Party has got two-thirds majority in the Gujarat assembly, having already won 123 of the 176 seats declared at 1500 IST.

One seat has gone to an independent.

Riding a Hindutva wave in the wake of worst ever communal riots in the state following the Godhra carnage, caretaker Chief Minister Narendra Modi and a number of his Cabinet colleagues romped home with huge margins. Modi was elected from the Maninagar seat by a margin of over 75,000 votes.

Despite a spirited campaign, the Congress may just about retain its earlier tally. State Congress chief Shankarsinh Vaghela's son, Mahendrasinh, was trailing in Sami constituency.

Godhra has gone to the ruling party with Bajrang Dal leader Haresh Bhatt winning the seat with a handsome margin.

Prominent among the BJP winners are Vajubhai Vala (Rajkot-II), Ashok Bhatt (Khadia) and Anandiben Patel (Patan).

Former Congress chief minister Amarsinh Chaudhary managed to retain his Khedbrahma seat even as his senior party colleague Narhari Amin lost from Sabarmati.

Significantly, the BJP's gains were tempered by some setbacks in its traditional stronghold Saurashtra while it made appreciable gains in central Gujarat and Kutch where it was not expected to do well.

The Complete Coverage Ask Our Reporters Mail Us Your Response