After sweeping victories in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand on Saturday, BJP president Amit Shah has his task cut out- delivering Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s home state of Gujarat and Congress-ruled Himachal Pradesh to the saffron party.
The UP victory has given the BJP the headstart it needed before moving to these two states that go to polls in November-December this year.
Gujarat has been under the BJP rule for last 19 years, including Modi’s 12 year-long tenure. Last year, however, the saffron fortress appeared partially breached in the panchayat elections when the BJP lost its dominance in rural areas.
The BJP had bagged over 50% of the vote share to wrest 30 of the 31 district panchayats in 2010. It could win just six district panchayats in 2015 and its vote share dipped by 7 %.