Buoyed by Gujarat performance, AAP rubs it in; dubs Rahul Gandhi as BJP's 'biggest asset'

Buoyed by its performance in the Gujarat civic polls, AAP rubbed salt on Congress' wound on Wednesday by alleging that Rahul Gandhi is the "biggest asset" of BJP. Speaking to the media, AAP MLA Raghav Chadha refused to comment on Gandhi's anti-north Indian remarks citing that Congress has lost its relevance on the Indian political scene. Highlighting that Congress is getting wiped out in state after state, he stressed that people have lost confidence in the Sonia Gandhi-led party.

According to him, BJP was deliberately trying to keep the Congress party afloat to ensure that it continues winning elections. Maintaining that the country can progress only if Congress is destroyed, Chadha affirmed that people were desperate for a genuine alternative. To buttress his point, he cited the confidence reposed in Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal's development model by the people of Gujarat.

AAP MLA Raghav Chadha remarked, "The people of Gujarat have validated Arvind Kejriwal's development model. For many years, there was a demand in Gujarat that an alternative should emerge. But Congress was not able to provide that alternative."

"Rahul Gandhi is BJP's biggest asset. PM wants to keep Rahul Gandhi and Congress relevant. Because it is easy to defeat them as Congress does not exist anywhere. They ensure that Congress is kept alive so that BJP can continue to surge ahead. For the country to progress ahead, it is necessary that Congress is destroyed," he added. 

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BJP retains power

BJP's dominance in electoral politics continued on Tuesday as it retained power in the Municipal Corporations of Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Surat, Rajkot, Bhavnagar and Jamnagar. Despite being in power for over 25 years in the state, BJP vastly improved its performance by winning 483 out of the total 576 seats across the 6 civic bodies as compared to the previous election where it bagged 389 seats. On the other hand, Congress was reduced to a paltry 55 seats from the 176 wins they had secured last time.

Meanwhile, AAP made an impressive debut in Gujarat by winning 27 seats in the Surat Municipal Corporation whereas Congress was wiped out there. In Ahmedabad, AIMIM won 7 out of 21 seats which it contested. It is pertinent to note that 52.83 lakh out of the 1.14 crore voters had cast their votes on February 21, implying an average turnout of 46.08%. Ahmedabad recorded the lowest turnout of 42.51%, while Jamnagar saw the highest turnout of 53.38%, followed by 50.72% in Rajkot, 49.46% in Bhavnagar, 47.84% in Vadodara and 47.14% in Surat.

Read: Cong Ally RJD Advises Rahul Gandhi To Avoid Divisive Politics After 'North-South' Remark