New parties came to Gujarat, were wiped out: Amit Shah taunts AAP

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday targeted the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), saying that new parties came to Gujarat, made tall claims and promised guarantees ahead of the Assembly elections, but were wiped out after the results.

In a virtual address to Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) workers in Surat, he also said that the party's landslide victory in the state proves that Gujarat was and will always remain the saffron outfit's stronghold. "New parties came to Gujarat, made tall claims and gave guarantees, but after the election results they were wiped out," Shah said. In the recently-concluded Gujarat Assembly elections, the BJP scripted history by winning 156 out of the total 182 seats. The Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP, which ran a high-decibel campaign and made several poll promises, managed to win only five seats, while the Congress party finished second by bagging 17 seats. "This historic win (of the BJP) gave a message to the country that Gujarat was, is and will always be BJP's stronghold," Shah said. "This result will boost positivity for the BJP in the upcoming elections in other states and the 2024 Lok Sabha polls," he added. The minister said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's massive popularity in the country and in Gujarat was the reason for such great results.

He congratulated BJP's state unit chief C R Paatil and party workers for the massive win.