Early Gujarat polls likely if BJP wins in West Bengal, says minister

A Gujarat minister on Sunday claimed Assembly polls in the state could be brought forward from late 2022 if the BJP wins in West Bengal.

Elections in the eastern state will be held in eight phases from March 27, while counting of votes will take place on May 2.

The term of the present Gujarat Assembly is till December next year.

Talking to reporters in Umargam in south Gujarat's Valsad district, state Forest and Tribal Affairs Minister Raman Patkar said the environment is conducive for early polls in Gujarat at a time when the BJP is winning everywhere.

"When the BJP is winning all around, then (the party's) parliamentary board and the state and national leadership understand that it is better to hold elections (in Gujarat) in this conducive environment," he said.

"And if BJP wins in West Bengal, then the announcement (for polls in Gujarat) can be made in a short time," Patkar claimed.

Patkar's statement comes against the backdrop of the BJP registering a massive victory in the recently-concluded local bodies polls in the state.

The party won 90 per cent seats in the local bodies polls, as well as all six municipal corporations, 75 out of 81 municipalities, all 31 district panchayats and 196 out of 231 taluka panchayats.