'Gujarat model' of development has been shaken: Shiv Sena

Shiv Sena on Tuesday said 'Gujarat model' of development has been 'shaken' after Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won the Gujarat polls with 99 seats as opposed to its intended target of 150.

Though Sena, in its mouthpiece 'Saamana' daily, congratulated BJP for its win in Himachal Pradesh and Gujarat, it also cautioned the saffron party and said the yesterday's result should also be taken as a sign of warning for 2019 general elections.

Sena, which shares an acrimonious relationship with the BJP despite being a coalition partner, said the party could not even touch the triple-figure mark in the Prime Minister Narendra Modi's home state of Gujarat, whose development is cited as a model for other states.

"Prime Minister evoked Gujarati identity, Pakistan, Hindu-Muslim in his campaigning but nobody talked about the so called development that has taken place in past 22 years," Sena said in its mouthpiece.

Sena also noted that Demonetisation and Goods and Service Tax did not affect BJP in urban centres, but Uddhav Thackeray-led party highlighted that Paatidar leader Hardik Patel attracted thousands of people in its rallies, and Congress, along with the young leaders, managed to stop BJP at 99.

Sena concluded by saying that the 'model' has been shaken, and hoped that it would not get completely destroyed in 2019.