Roundup: Modi's ruling BJP wins crucial assembly elections in 2 Indian states

NEW DELHI, Dec. 18 (Xinhua) -- India's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Monday scripted yet another smooth victory in assembly elections in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's homestate of Gujarat and swept to power in the northern state of Himachal Pradesh.

This was the BJP's sixth consecutive five-year term win in the politically crucial Gujarat, considered the party's citadel of power, given that both Modi and the political outfit's chief Amit Shah hails from the western Indian state.

Though the BJP cruised to victory in Gujarat, but its seats have lowered as compared to last time - the party bagged 99 seats in the 182-member assembly, some 16 less than what it got in 2012 when Modi was chief minister of the state.

The loss in seats was there despite Modi apparently single-handedly campaigning in the state, addressing rally after rally in the run-up to the polls and drawing huge crowds.

On the contrary, the country's and the state's main opposition Congress fared a bit well in the Gujarat polls, clinching 77 seats, much better than what it did last time - all thanks to an aggressive campaign by the party's newly appointed young chief Rahul Gandhi.

In Himachal Pradesh too, the BJP decimated the Congress party which was in power for the past five years, bagging 44 seats in the 68-member assembly. The Congress managed to clinch on to only 21 seats in the face of anti-incumbency.

Ironically, BJP's chief ministerial candidate P.K. Dhumal lost his seat in the polls, even though the party won.

"Dynasty, casteism and appeasement has lost to development," said the BJP chief, in a veiled attack on 47-year-old Gandhi, who took over the reins of the Congress barely two days ago from his mother Sonia Gandhi.

Modi was also quick to attribute the party's victory to his government's thumping economic reforms of scrapping of higher denomination currency notes and "one nation, one tax" policies.

"Gujarat and Himachal results show that India is ready for reforms," Modi, who was Gujarat's chief minister for 13 years before becoming the prime minister in 2014 when the BJP won the general elections, said at the BJP headquarters in Delhi Monday evening.

In a series of tweets, the prime minister also thanked the people of Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh for the election victories. "Election results in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh indicate a strong support for politics of good governance and development," he tweeted.

"I bow to the people of Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh for their affection and trust in BJP. I assure them that we will leave no stone unturned in furthering the development journey of these states and serve the people tirelessly," Modi said in another tweet.

Even before the poll results were fully out, the Congress party conceded defeat.

"The Congress party accepts the verdict of the people and congratulates the new governments in both States. I thank the people of Gujarat and Himachal with all my heart for the love they showed me," tweeted Gandhi.

However, he cheered up his supporters by saying "my Congress brothers and sisters, you have made me very proud. You are different than those you fought because you fought anger with dignity. You have demonstrated to everyone the Congress's greatest strength is its decency and courage." Enditem