The Bharatiya Janata Party’s electoral victory in Gujarat, led by chief minister Narendra Modi, was an expected one. The margin of victory, even if the party won two seats fewer than in the previous poll, was significant. Modi’s win in Gujarat may have been a fait accompli given his government’s focus on economic development and also due to the utter lack of cohesion among the opposition Congress, which did not have a strong plank to fight the elections on. Neither did it have any leader who could challenge the incumbent chief minister.

However, Himachal Pradesh was a different story. The Congress won 36 of the 68 Assembly seats, thus securing a simple majority and the right to form the government. BJP, the ruling party in the state, won 26 seats.