New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Thursday registered a record-breaking victory in Gujarat, with the party winning 156 out of 182 seats — a seventh consecutive win for the party in the state assembly elections. While the Congress secured a majority with 40 seats in Himachal Pradesh, the grand old party will now have to choose a chief minister in the state where it saw factional feuds just a few months ago.
Here are the updates:
10:15 pm: Counting for the Gujarat Assembly elections has concluded and the Bharatiya Janata Party registered a historic win with 156 seats out of 182 constituencies. The highest number of seats the BJP has ever secured was in 2002 under Prime Minister Narendra Modi when the party won 127 seats.
09:20 pm: ‘Just as Modi isn’t such a vote-catcher outside Gujarat, Kejriwal isn’t beyond Delhi. And in Himachal, Gandhis were mostly not there, but local Congress elders fought cohesively,’ writes Shekhar Gupta. Read the full piece here.
08:44 pm: According to ANI, Himachal Pradesh Congress MLAs have been asked to stay in Shimla only. Observers Bhupesh Baghel, Bhupinder Hooda and In-charge Rajeev Shukla are likely to meet the MLAs in Shimla tomorrow.
Himachal Pradesh Congress MLAs have been asked to stay in Shimla only. Observers Bhupesh Baghel, Bhupinder Hooda and In-charge Rajeev Shukla are likely to meet the MLAs in Shimla tomorrow: Sources
— ANI (@ANI) December 8, 2022
08:35 pm: Joy, sweets at BJP’s Gandhinagar HQ as party celebrates ‘people’s mandate’. ThePrint’s Praveen Jain captured mood at party office in Gandhinagar & on Ahmedabad streets.
08:30 pm: Rivaba Jadeja, wife of cricketer Ravindra Jadeja, won her debut election from Jamnagar (North) in Gujarat with the margin of over 53,000 votes.
07:45 pm: The Congress has won the Himachal Pradesh assembly elections with 40 seats out of the 68 constituencies, while the BJP got 25. Independent candidates won the remaining three seats.
07:30 pm: Buoyant Congress faces task of picking new Himachal Pradesh CM as the party is set to return to power in the state. Here are the three main contenders for the chief minister’s chair. Read the full report.
07:19 pm: “I want to thank Election Commission for conducting elections peacefully. As far as I know, re-polling in any poll booth was not required. I also want to thank the voters of Himachal. The difference between the number of votes for BJP & Congress was less than 1%”: PM Narendra Modi at the BJP headquarters in New Delhi.
I want to thank Election Commission for conducting elections peacefully. As far as I know, re-polling in any poll booth was not required. I also want to thank the voters of Himachal. The difference between the number of votes for BJP & Congress was less than 1%: PM Modi at BJP HQ pic.twitter.com/PwXTYc3MoZ
— ANI (@ANI) December 8, 2022
07:15 pm: “It’s our record win in Gujarat under PM’s leadership… We got 52.5% vote share. Congress’s voting percentage dropped to 27.3. A new party came to insult Gujarat, leader of that party said that our govt is coming in Gujarat. He should now apologise to people,” says BJP chief JP Nadda.
#WATCH | It's our record win in Gujarat under PM's leadership… We got 52.5% vote share. Congress's voting percentage dropped to 27.3. A new party came to insult Gujarat, leader of that party said that our govt is coming in Gujarat. He should now apologise to people: BJP chief pic.twitter.com/M8YaXDE4MU
— ANI (@ANI) December 8, 2022
07:05 pm: BJP national president JP Nadda addresses party workers at the BJP headquarters in New Delhi.
Victory celebration proceedings at the BJP HQ in New Delhi. https://t.co/sDAc46cBHQ
— Office of JP Nadda (@OfficeofJPNadda) December 8, 2022
06:46 pm: In Himachal Pradesh’s Fatehpur constituency, BJP rebel turned independent candidate Kripal Parmar, asked by PM Modi to ‘sit out’, loses to Congress’ Bhawani Singh Pathania. Read the full report here.
06:30 pm: Former Gujarat CM Vijay Rupani talks about BJP’s Gujarat win in Assembly elections 2022 under PM Narendra Modi. Watch the full conversation with ThePrint’s Political team — Shanker Arnimesh, DK Singh, Neelam Pandey and Ishadrita Lahiri.
06:25 pm: AAP’s CM face Isudan Gadhvi, Gujarat chief Gopal Italia get trounced by BJP candidates.
05:45 pm: Seven-time MLA Chhotubhai Vasava loses to BJP’s Ritesh Vasava from Gujarat’s Jhagadia constituency.
05:31 pm: Disaster in Gujarat but solace in Himachal: While Congress may be used to successive defeats, polls in Gujarat and Himachal came at a time when the party is doing some major organization rejigs under new president Mallikarjun Kharge. Read the full report here.
05:15 pm: PM Modi and Union home minister Amit Shah wrested their hometowns — Unjha and Mansa — from the Congress. BJP’s Kiritkumar Keshavlal Patel, a first-time candidate, won with a margin of 51,468 votes in Unjha. In Mansa, BJP’s J.S. Patel won with a margin of 39,266 votes. Read the full report here.
05:00 pm: With the BJP having secured a win in 120 of Gujarat’s 182 seats, PM Modi thanked the people of the state in a tweet for ‘blessing politics of development’.
Thank you Gujarat. I am overcome with a lot of emotions seeing the phenomenal election results. People blessed politics of development and at the same time expressed a desire that they want this momentum to continue at a greater pace. I bow to Gujarat’s Jan Shakti.
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) December 8, 2022
Meanwhile, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi thanked the people of Himachal Pradesh, where the party has hit the majority mark of 35.
हिमाचल प्रदेश की जनता को इस निर्णायक जीत के लिए दिल से धन्यवाद।
सभी कांग्रेस कार्यकर्ताओं और नेताओं को हार्दिक बधाई। आपका परिश्रम और समर्पण इस विजय की शुभकामनाओं का असली हकदार है।
फिर से आश्वस्त करता हूं, जनता को किया हर वादा जल्द से जल्द निभाएंगे।
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) December 8, 2022
04:55 pm: ‘Narendra Modi works at the ground level with party workers’ — Rajni Patel, former home minister of Gujarat, and BJP leader Yamal Vyas speak to ThePrint about the party’s win in the state.
The BJP has won in 109 seats in the state and is leading in 47.
'Despite being the PM, Narendra Modi works at the ground level with party workers' — Watch what former home minister of Gujarat @rajnipatel_mla and BJP leader @yamalavyas told ThePrint @shankerarnimesh, on the party's historic win in the state.https://t.co/ZuOOWa3LVN
— ThePrintIndia (@ThePrintIndia) December 8, 2022
4:45 pm: Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jairam Thakur has submitted his resignation.
‘Victory of PM Modi, victory of development politics’ — BJP leader Alpesh Thakor talks to ThePrint about his win from Gandhinagar South constituency in Gujarat.
BJP leader @AlpeshThakor_ tells @ShankerArnimesh about his win from Gandhinagar South constituency.
Our next LIVE session on Gujarat verdict at 5:30 PM
Become a member to get your priority pass on ThePrint YouTube channel#GujaratElectionResult https://t.co/WQyBZH4CiV
— ThePrintIndia (@ThePrintIndia) December 8, 2022
04:30 pm: In Gujarat, the BJP has passed the majority mark of 92 and has registered a win in 102 seats. It is leading in 54 seats. The Congress has won in 8, AAP in 4, SP in 1 and Independent candidates in 3.
In Himachal Pradesh, the Congress has won in 32 seats and is leading in 7. The BJP’s current count is 17. It is leading in 9.
04:15 pm: The BJP’s overtures have paid off in Gujarat’s tribal belt, while Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s outreach attempts failed. Of the 27 seats in the tribal belt, the BJP is ahead in 20 and Congress is leading in three. Read the full report here.
04:00 pm: Hardik Patel wins from Gujarat’s Viramgam constituency by a margin of over 51,000 votes.
Meanwhile SP candidate Kandhalbhai Jadeja has won from the state’s Kutiyana seat.
03:40 pm: In Gujarat’s Bansda assembly, Congress’ Anantkumar Hasmukhbhai Patel has won with a margin of over 35,000 votes. As per EC figures, of the 182 seats, BJP has won in 71, Congress in 6, and AAP in 2 (till 3:39 pm).
In Gujarat’s Ghatlodia constituency, CM Bhupendra Patel has won with a massive margin of 1,92,263 votes. Patel had won from the seat in 2017 too, bucking the Patidar agitation. He was the highest grosser of votes in 2017.
03:30 pm: With 17 seats, the Congress has taken the lead in Himachal Pradesh. The party has instructed all its MLAs in Himachal to move to Chandigarh after collecting their winning certificates. They may then be moved to Raipur or Jaipur.
Meanwhile, according to an ANI report, Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel is being rushed to Chandigarh amid rumours of poaching. “We are taking our leaders to Chandigarh and closing our doors and windows as the BJP will try to poach, as they have done many times in the past,” said Tajinder Singh Bittu, AICC secretary in-charge of Himachal.
03:15 pm: With 13 seats each, the contest between the BJP and Congress in Himachal is a close one.
BJP in lead in Gujarat with 57 seats.
03:00pm: The trio of Hardik Patel, Alpesh Thakor and Jignesh Mevani — prominent leaders in the run up to the 2017 polls and referred to as ‘HAJ’ — were once considered close to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. They have since gone their separate ways with Thakor and Patel contesting this year on BJP tickets and Mevani as a Congress candidate. And all are in lead. Read the full report here.
02:50 pm: Congress leader Jignesh Mevani leads from Gujarat’s Vadgam by over 7,000 votes. He had won from the seat as an independent in 2017.
02:45 pm: In Gujarat, two of AAP high-profile candidates — party’s CM face Isudan Gadhvi and unit chief Gopal Italia — are trailing BJP by wide margins. Read the full report here.
02:35 pm: The Samajwadi Party in Gujarat is leading in one seat. The SP candidate from Kutiyana seat, Kandhalbhai Jadeja, son of Porbandar’s mafia queen Santokben Jadeja, seems set for a hattrick. Read the full report here.
02:30 pm: The BJP’s tally in Gujarat has risen to 29, while it leads in 127 seats. Congress has won in 2, and is leading in 15. Meanwhile, the AAP is leading in 5 seats.
In Himachal Pradesh, the Congress has won in 7 seats but is leading in 32. The BJP has won 8 and is leading in 18.
02:20 pm: In Himachal’s Mandi, represented by state Congress chief and MP Pratibha Singh, the party lost to the BJP. Anil Sharma — son of late Congress leader Pandit Sukh Ram — who fought on a BJP ticket, lost.
02:10 pm: Gujarat’s tribal face & seven-time MLA Chhotubhai Vasava is trailing in Jhagadia, where he is contesting as an Independent amid conflict with his son. The BJP candidate is in the lead. Read the full report here.
02:10 pm: After bitter losses in past, the BJP is leading by large margins in Gujarat’s Unjha and Mansa constituencies, home grounds of PM Modi and Amit Shah, respectively. Read the full report here.
02:00 pm: In Rajkot West — from where former Gujarat CM Vijay Rupani had won in 2017 — BJP’s first-time candidate Darshita Shah is headed for a massive win.
Shah has secured 1,38,687 votes against Congress’ Kalariya Mansukhbhai Jadavbhai, who had secured 32,332 votes till 1:30 pm, shows EC data. According to BJP sources, Darshita Shah’s grandfather is a friend of PM Modi.
01:55 pm: ‘Will do anything to protect democracy,’ says Congress’ Vikramaditya Singh as the party leads in Himachal Pradesh.
01:50 pm: According to ANI, BJP has stamped its victory in Gujarat with state party chief C.R. Patil announcing that the chief minister will be sworn in on 12 December at 2 pm. PM Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah are also slated to take part in the oath-taking ceremony.
The results of #GujaratElections are quite clear. People have made up their minds to further continue with the journey of development in Gujarat. We humbly accept the mandate of the people. Every worker of BJP is committed to public service: Gujarat CM Bhupendra Patel pic.twitter.com/aujLVwiQpX
— ANI (@ANI) December 8, 2022
01:45 pm: In Himachal, the Congress is performing seemingly better than rival BJP. The party has won in 1 seat and leading in 39.
01:40 pm: The Election Commission website shows BJP winning in 5 seats and leading in 153. 
01.30 pm: Gujarat BJP leader Kantilal Amrutiya, who jumped in the Machhu river in Gujarat’s Morbi to rescue survivors following the collapse of a suspension bridge, leads with over 32,000 votes. Read the full report here.
Meanwhile, Rivaba Jadeja, wife of cricketer Ravindra Jadeja and the party’s candidate from Jamnagar North, is leading by over 19,000 votes in her debut election. Read the full report here.
01.25 pm: Congress’ Harish Janartha wins from Himachal’s Shimla constituency against BJP’s Sanjay Sood by 3,037 votes.
In Gujarat’s Gondal, BJP’s Geetaba Jayrajsinh Jadeja wins by 43,313 votes.
01:15 pm: BJP wins second seat in Himachal — Ranbir Singh from Nurpur Assembly constituency by 18,752 votes.
In Gujarat, BJP bags third win — Gohil Shivabhai Jerambhai from Mahuva by 27,093 votes.
Meanwhile, Congress’ Imran Khedawala registers party’s first win from the state’s Jamalpur Khadia by 13,658 votes.
01:00 pm: In Himachal Pradesh’s Mandi seat, the son of late Congress stalwart Pandit Sukh Ram, Anil Sharma — who is contesting on a BJP ticket — is leading by 9,780 votes against Congress’ Champa Thakur.
12:45 pm: In Gujarat, BJP’s Kanaiyalal Bachubhai Kishori has been declared winner from Dahod by 29,350 votes, and BJP’s Kamleshbhai Rameshbhai Patel has won from Petlad with a margin of 17,954 votes, shows EC data.
BJP is leading in 155 seats, Congress in 18, AAP in 5. — News 18
In Himachal, the BJP has won on 1 seat, and is leading on 29. The Congress is leading on 36. AAP yet to open account in the state.
12:40 pm: With BJP heading for a historic win in the state, Gujarat BJP’s vice-president Gordhan Zadafia talks to ThePrint.
12:30 pm: BJP’s Alpesh Thakor leads from Gandhinagar South by 12,000 votes. He was the face of OBC-ST-SC Ekta Manch that had countered the Hardik Patel-led Patidar agitation.
According to early EC trends, BJP looks set to retain the Unjha assembly seat, which also happens to include Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s hometown Vadnagar. The party’s K.K. Patel is leading on the seat by 16,434 votes.
The BJP had lost the seat in 2017 but regained it in a bypoll in 2019 when its candidate Asha Patel defeated Congress’s Kanjibhai Patel by a comfortable margin of 23,006 votes.
12:20 pm: Congress leader and party’s tribal face in Gujarat, Anant Patel, is leading in Bansda against BJP’s Piyushkumar Kantilal Patel by 15,527 votes, as per EC trends. Bansda is an SC reserved seat. In the run up to the polls, Patel was allegedly attacked by a group of people while campaigning.
Meanwhile, Congress is trailing in its traditional stronghold of Dariapur, Gujarat — where Muslims play a crucial role in deciding elections. The party had fielded Gyasuddin Shaikh from the seat where BJP is leading by 12,000 votes.
In Himachal’s Nagrota, Congress leader and All India Congress Committee (AICC) secretary R.S. Bali is leading by 15,480 votes against BJP’s Arun Kumar. Bali is the son of late G.S. Bali who was a minister in Himachal Pradesh.
12:15 pm: In Gujarat, the AAP is leading in 5 seats, according to EC trends.
In Dediapada, the party is leading with over 17,000 votes, in Gariadhar with 8,806 votes, in Jamjodhpur with 11,106 votes, in Visavadar with 63,38 votes and in Bhiloda with 4,432 votes.
12:00 pm: These are the election trends for Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh at noon. BJP is looking at a massive win in Gujarat, while the party is locked in a close fight with the Congress in Himachal Pradesh.
12:00 pm: BJP candidate from Himachal’s Hamirpur seat — part of the Lok Sabha constituency of Union Minister Anurag Thakur — is trailing by 9,599 votes behind Independent candidate Ashish Sharma.
11:55 am: EC trends show Jignesh Mevani, who contested independently from Vadgam in 2017 and won, is trailing BJP’s Manibhai Vaghela. Vadgam is a Dalit and Muslim-dominated seat.
Mevani was made one of Gujarat Congress’s seven working presidents earlier this year. Vaghela, his contender in Vadgam, is a Congress turncoat who held the seat before Mevani.
11:50 am: In Godhra, BJP’s CK Raulji is leading by a margin of 30,000 votes. The vote share of Congress is down by half, from 41% to 23%.
Godhra has seen a tough fight between BJP and Congress in the previous elections, with vote difference never exceeding more than 2500-3000. In 2017, BJP defeated Congress by 258 votes.
Read our ground report on the constituency which is a battle of ‘prestige’ for RSS-BJP.
11:40 am: For BJP’s election strategist-in-chief Amit Shah, a Gujarat victory will be doubly sweet. BJP’s JS Patel is leading by about 22,000 votes from Mansa, Shah’s ancestral home. The party has been losing to Congress from the the assembly seat since 2012.
11:30 am: BJP’s Riteshbhai Vasava is leading in Gujarat’s Jhagadia constituency by around 14,000 votes against BTP’s Chhotubhai Vasava, who is contesting as an Independent candidate.
11:20 am: According to EC, AAP state president Gopal Italia trailing to BJP’s Vinodbhai Amarshibhai Moradiya by 15,437 votes. The two are contesting from Katargam in the Surat district.
Meanwhile, AAP’s CM candidate Isudan Gadhvi is leading by a slender margin of 1,153 against BJP’s Ayar Mulubhai Hardasbhai Bera from Khambalia.
11:15 am: BJP candidate Rakesh Kumar wins from Sundernagar Assembly constituency in Himachal Pradesh, as per the Election Commission. — ANI
According to EC, Congress continues to lead on 35 seats, BJP leading on 29.
11:00 am: In Gujarat, BJP leads in 153 seats — potentially breaking the Congress’ 1985 record of 149 seats won under former CM Madhav Singh Solanki’s leadership — Congress in 17, AAP in 8.
In Himachal, Congress inches ahead, leads in 33, BJP in 32. AAP remains at 0.
10:45 am: AAP leading in 7 seats in Gujarat. If AAP secures 6 per cent or more votes in the state and wins at least two assembly seats here, it will end up as a recognised national party.
In Gujarat’s Morbi, BJP’s Kantilal Amrutiya is leading with over 10,000 votes. An old RSS hand, Amrutiya was among those who had jumped into the Machhu river to save people after the suspension bridge collapse.
Amrutiya had been denied a ticket by the BJP in the 2020 bypoll. The party had chosen Brijesh Merja, who had defected from the Congress, instead.
10:30 am: BJP leads in 147 seats in Gujarat, Congress in 21 and AAP in 9. — News 18
BJP workers begin celebrating outside counting centres in Ahmedabad.
In Himachal Pradesh, BJP leads in 33, Congress in 31. AAP, nil.
10:05 am: According to the Election Commission, in the 68-member Himachal Pradesh Assembly, BJP and Congress neck-in-neck with both leading in 30 seats each.
CM Jairam Thakur leading with a total of 14,921 votes in his constituency Seraj. — ANI
10:00 am: BJP crosses halfway mark of 92 seats in Gujarat in early trends, shows EC data.
In Gujarat, BJP -123; Congress-22; AAP-10 – in early trends as per ECI
BJP has crossed the halfway mark of 92 in the State in early trends pic.twitter.com/VVmyA1SZUq
— ANI (@ANI) December 8, 2022
The Congress is trailing in all 17 assemblies in Gujarat’s Surat area, where party leader Rahul Gandhi had campaigned.
9:45 am: According to EC, BJP leads on 28 seats, Congress on 21 in Himachal Pradesh.
Latest official EC trends | BJP leads on 28 seats, Congress on 21 and Independent candidates on 3 seats, as counting for #HimachalPradeshElections continues. pic.twitter.com/1ikifBgIrf
— ANI (@ANI) December 8, 2022
9:40 am: Kantilal Amrutiya of the BJP ahead in Gujarat’s Morbi constituency. Morbi was the site of a suspension bridge collapse in October which resulted in the death of 135 people.
9:30 am: BJP’s Hardik Patel trailing in Viramgam, Gujarat.
9:15 am: Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel is leading with 15,000 votes from Ghatlodia, where he won the last polls with the highest margin in the state.
9:10 am: BJP sources are saying that the party leadership has sent national general secretary Vinod Tawde to Shimla to look into government formation exercise in Himachal Pradesh.
According to EC, BJP is leading in 20 constituencies, Congress in 13 and Independents are ahead in 2 seats in the state.
9:00 am: According to the Election Commission, BJP is ahead in 18 seats. Congress in three and AAP in 2 constituencies in Gujarat.
8:50 am: Congress is leading in 37 seats in Himachal Pradesh while BJP is ahead in 31. Almost an hour since counting took off, Congress seems to have crossed halfway mark in the state, according to initial trends.
8:40 am: Early trends show BJP is ahead in 132 seats while Congress is leading in 43 out of 182 constituencies in Gujarat. In the 68-seat Himachal assembly, the BJP has made early gains in 35 constituencies, while Congress is ahead in 29.
8:30 am: Counting of votes is underway at L.D. Engineering College in Ahmedabad, which is also the seat of Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel.
8:15 am: Initial trends in Gujarat have the BJP leading in 34 seats and the Congress leading in 11. In Himachal, the BJP is leading in 6 seats and Congress in 4 (source: News 18).
8:00 am: Counting of postal ballots for Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh polls begins. Counting of EVM votes to begin at 8.30 am.
7:45 am: Read ThePrint report on how exit polls predicted a BJP win in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh.
7:30 am: Counting of votes for Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh polls will begin at 8 am.
Also read: What explains Modi’s silence as states fight on, relations with Centre worsen