BJP retains power in Gujarat; Congress improves tally

The BJP today retained power in Gujarat, securing a simple majority by winning 92 seats in the 182-member Assembly. It is leading in seven more, according to the Election Commission tally.
The opposition Congress followed closely behind the long-ruling saffron party with 75 seats in the bitterly-fought election whose campaign saw a face-off between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Congress president Rahul Gandhi.
The BJP has been in power in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's home state uninterrupted since 1998.