The BJP today scored a landslide victory in Gujarat - the state it has been ruling since 1995. The elections to the 182-member assembly were held in two phases on December 1 and 5.
As we enter the run up to general elections of 2024, the message is clear: while in national elections the Modi leadership cult may deliver for the BJP, it is now obvious that in states, local issues matter more and more.
In any other scenario, the BJP's victory in Gujarat, Congress in Himachal Pradesh and Aam Aadmi Party in Delhi would have been read as voters sending mixed signals. But the discussion is bound to be centred on the saffron party's unprecedented win in Narendra Modi's home state.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is eyeing a record seventh straight term in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's home state of Gujarat and also hoping to buck the nearly four decades of anti-incumbency trend in Himachal Pradesh.