Advani, Harin do a double

AHMEDABAD, Oct 6: The Bharatiya Janata Party today retained Gandhinagar and Ahmedabad Lok Sabha seats with its candidates L K Advani and ...

AHMEDABAD, Oct 6: The Bharatiya Janata Party today retained Gandhinagar and Ahmedabad Lok Sabha seats with its candidates L K Advani and Harin Pathak defeating their Congress rivals, though with reduced margins.

While Advani defeated former Chief Election Commissioner T N Seshan by over 1.88 lakh votes, Pathak defeated Girish Popatlal Dani by 52,958 votes. All other candidates lost their security deposit.

In both constituencies, Electronic Voting Machines were used and results were declared in the afternoon, when ballot papers were still being mixed in 24 other constituencies.

Advani took an early lead, which increased with every round of counting. In fact, he polled more votes than Seshan in all seven Assembly segments. The contest in Ahmedabad, however, turned out to be a see-saw battle, with Dani taking an early lead of 13,000 votes, before Pathak overtook him and went on to win the polls.

Pathak led in five segments, while Dani led in Jamalpur and Kalupur segments. Immediately after results were declared, jubilant BJP supporters took out victory processions, but sans the winners. On winning the Gandhinagar seat, Advani, who is in Delhi said the trends were in conformity with expections and projections by various opinion and exit polls.

Pathak, who was admitted to L G Hospital last night for food poisoning, said he was not 8220;fully satisfied8221; with his victory. This is because there was considerable erosion of his victory margin. He explains this by saying in that in the absence of a third force, it was a straight fight with the Congress. Secondly, local issues, particularly in the eastern parts of the city like Rakhial, Gomtipur and Kalupur also had an impact on the margin, he said.

Pathak does not agree that it was a fallout of the voters8217; perception about the performance of the BJP in the civic body. Justifying his dwindled popularity among the masses, he takes solace in the fact that 8220;even Advaniji8217;s lead has been slashed8221;.

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Neither the Congress candidates nor any party spokesperson was available for comment on the party8217;s performance. BJP spokesperson Bharat Pandya attributed the party8217;s victory to Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee8217;s image and the performance of the Keshubhai Patel Government in the State.

In 1998, Advani had won by 2.76 lakh votes, while Pathak had won by 1.36 lakh votes. Pandya linked their reduced victory margin to the lower voter turnout this time. In both constituencies, there was a fall of about 10 per cent in polling, he explained.