Hemantkumar Shivsaran/Rediff.com compares the number of rallies held by top BJP leaders in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh.
The word 'tsunami' got a new twist post the Gujarat assembly elections, as tsuNaMo, after the Bharatiya Janata Party on Thursday won 156 out of 182 seats in the state.
Everyone had one name on their lips and that was BJP supremo Narendra Modi, who had campaigned extensively to ensure the BJP's historic triumph in Gujarat.
Modi untiringly held 28 rallies according to pmindia.gov.in n(extrenal link) but when it came to distant Himachal Pradesh Modi only held four election rallies for the 68 assembly seats.
Amit Shah, the number two leader in the BJP, held the maximum rallies in the Himalayan state -- 9.
Shah also outdid Modi in Gujarat, addressing as many as 36 rallies, followed by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath who held 23 rallies.
Yogi, too, like Modi, did fewer rallies in Himachal -- only five.
Thus the entire burden to win the state was on Himachal native Jagat Prakash Nadda, the BJP's national president who held 20 rallies in his home state, but riven by dissidence, the BJP could win only 25 seats and lost power in HP.
The only solace for Nadda is that the difference between the BJP and Congress was just 37,974 votes or 0.9% of the vote share.
The Congress vote share was 43.9 percent (18,52,504 votes); the BJP won 43 percent (18,14,530 votes).
Which begs the question: Could Himachal have been retained if the BJP leaders had focussed on it a little more?
Hemantkumar Shivsaran/Rediff.com compares the number of rallies held by the BJP's top leadership in the two states.
IMAGE: The Bharatiya Janata Party's top vote-catcher and Prime Minister Narendra Damodardas Modi undertook an unprecedented 30 km-long roadshow through Ahmedabad city, December 1, 2022. Photograph: PTI Photo
| Narendra Damodardas Modi |
| Gujarat |
| December 2 Kankrej |
| December 2 Patan |
| December 2 Sojitra |
| December 1 Panchmahal |
| December 1 Himatnagar |
| December 1 Ahmedabad (roadshow) |
| November 28 Kutch |
| November 28 Jamnagar |
| November 28 Bhavnagar |
| November 28 Rajkot |
| November 27 Surat |
| November 27 Kheda |
| November 24 Palanpur |
| November 24 Modasa |
| November 24 Dahegam |
| November 24 Bavla |
| November 23 Mehsana |
| November 23 Dahod |
| November 23 Vadodara |
| November 23 Bhavnagar |
| November 21 Surendranagar |
| November 21 Jambusar |
| November 21 Navsari |
| November 20 Veraval |
| November 20 Dhoraji |
| November 20 Amreli |
| November 20 Botad |
| November 19 Valsad |
| Himachal Pradesh |
| November 9 Chambi (Kangra) |
| November 9 Sujanpur (Hamirpur) |
| November 5 Sundernagar |
| November 5 Solan |
IMAGE: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh at a meeting for the Himachal Pradesh assembly election at Balh in Mandi, November 7, 2022. Photograph: ANI Photo
| Rajnath Singh |
| Gujarat |
| November 30 Balasinor (Mahisagar) |
| November 30 Vadodara |
| November 30 Ahmedabad |
| Himachal Pradesh |
| November 7 Balh |
| November 7 Baijnath (Kangra) |
| November 3 Arki (Solan) |
| November 3 Jaisinghpur (Kangra) |
| November 3 Dehra (Kangra) |
IMAGE: Amit Anilchandra Shah, who was in charge of the BJP's strategy and campaign for the Gujarat assembly election at a road show in Sanand, December 3, 2022. Photograph: ANI Photo
| Union Home Minister Amit Shah |
| Gujarat |
| December 2 Vadodara (roadshow) |
| December 2 Mehsana |
| December 2 Bechraji |
| December 2 Vijaypur |
| Dec 1 Sanand (Roadshow) |
| December 1 Visnagar |
| December 1 Ahmedabad |
| November 30 Santrampur |
| November 29 Garbada |
| November 29 Thasra |
| November 29 Kapadvanj |
| November 28 Kheralu (Mehsana) |
| November 28 Savli (Vadodara) |
| November 28 Bhiloda (Aravalli) |
| November 26 Rajula (Amreli ) |
| November 26 Talaja (Bhavnagar) |
| November 26 Mahuva (Bhavnagar) |
| November 26 Jafrabad |
| November 25 Nandod (roadshow) |
| November 25 Nadiad (Kheda) |
| November 25 Jhalod |
| November 25 Vagra |
| November 23 Jasdan (Rajkot) |
| November 23 Dasada (Surendranagar) |
| November 23 Bardoli (Surat) |
| November 22 Khambhat (Anand) |
| November 22 Tharad (Banaskantha) |
| November 22 Deesa (Banaskantha) |
| November 21 Khambhalia (Dwarka) |
| November 21 Kodinar (Gir Somnath) |
| November 21 Mangrole (Junagarh) |
| November 20 Nijhar (Tapi) |
| November 20 Dediapada (Narmada) |
| November 16 Ahmedabad |
| October 13 Ahmedabad |
| October 13 Navsari |
| Himachal Pradesh |
| November 10 Sullah |
| November 10 Paonta Sahib |
| November 6 Nagrota |
| November 6 Nakikhad (Jaswan Pragpur) |
| November 6 Maihatpur(Una) |
| November 1 Sihunta (Chamba) |
| November 1 Baral(Mandi) |
| November 1 Bhattakufar (Shimla) |
| October 15 Sataun (Sirmaur) |
| Bhupendra Patel |
| Gujarat |
| December 2 Ahmedabad |
| December 1 Ahmedabad (roadshow) |
| December 1 Vadgam (Banaskantha) |
| December 1 Bijapur (Mehsana) (Roadshow) |
| November 30 Amraiwadi (roadshow) |
| November 29 Patan (roadshow) |
| November 28 Becharaji (roadshow) |
| November 25 Keshod (Junagadh) |
| November 25 Visavadar (Junagadh) |
| November 22 KhedBrahma (Sabarkantha) |
| November 22 Morwa Hadaf (Panchmahal) |
| November 16 Ghatlodia |
| November 14 Mundra (Kutch) |
IMAGE: Bharatiya Janata Party president Jagat Prakash Nadda, second from left, shows the victory sign during a public meeting for the Himachal Pradesh assembly elections, at Fatehpur-Ramlila Maidan in Kangra, November 10, 2022. Photograph: ANI Photo
| Jagat Prakash Nadda |
| Gujarat |
| November 29 Devgadh Baria (Dahod) |
| November 23 BAPS Swaminarayan Mandir, Gadhada |
| November 22 Shehra |
| November 22 Chanasma |
| November 22 Sidhpur |
| November 18 Navsari |
| November 18 Ankaleshwar |
| October 12 Bahucharaji |
| October 12 Mehsana |
| October 12 Devbhoomi Dwarika |
| Himachal Pradesh |
| November 10 Fatehpur |
| November 10 Ghumaravin |
| November 10 Jhanduta |
| November 7 Rampur (Shimla) |
| November 7 Kotkhai |
| November 7 Rohru |
| November 6 Shimla |
| November 6 Solan |
| November 5 Behna Jattan |
| November 5 Nova Rajpura |
| November 5 Potwarkhana Kotla (Bilaspur) |
| November 4 Sandhole |
| November 4 Dharampur |
| November 4 Mandi |
| November 3 Chamba |
| November 3 Una |
| November 2 Bilaspur |
| October 30 Kaza (Lahaul Spiti) |
| October 30 Manali & Kullu |
| October 5 Bilaspur |
IMAGE: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath addresses a public meeting in support of BJP candidate Sanjay Guleria for the Himachal Pradesh assembly election at Jawali in Kangra, November 4, 2022. Photograph: ANI Photo
| Yogi Adityanath |
| Gujarat |
| November 18 Wankaner Morbi |
| November 18 Jhagadia Bharuch |
| November 18 Choryasi Surat |
| November 21 Sankheda Chhota Udaipur |
| November 21 Mehmedabad Kheda |
| November 23 Dwarka |
| November 23 Rapar Kutch |
| November 23 Dhrangadhra Morbi |
| November 26 Somnath Gir Somnath |
| November 26 Gariadhar Bhavnagar |
| November 26 Savarkundla Amreli |
| November 26 Viramgam Ahmedabad |
| November 29 Lunawada Mahisagar |
| November 29 Umreth Anand |
| November 29 Dabhoi Vadodara |
| November 29 Godhra Panchmahal |
| December 1 Byad (Aravalli) |
| December 1 Dhanera Banaskantha |
| December 1 Dhandhuka Ahmedabad |
| December 1 Waghodia Vadodara |
| December 3 Mahudha Kheda |
| December 3 Dholka Ahmedabad |
| December 3 Khambhat Anand |
| Himachal Pradesh |
| November 2 Barsar |
| November 2 Baldwara |
| November 2 Parwanoo |
| November 4 Jawali |
| November 4 Ghumarwin |
