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Valsad, another ‘V link’ in Modi’s victory march

Valsad (Gujarat), May 16
There is an unmistakable ‘V link’ behind Narendra Modi’s march to victory and the list just grew longer today for the son of Gujarat’s Vadnagar.

That the V factor is common in the two Lok Sabha constituencies — Vadodara and Varanasi — from where Modi emerged victorious is a known fact but in another coincidence, the party winning the Valsad seat in Gujarat forms the government at the Centre going by records of the past two decades.

BJP candidate KC Patel beat Congress’ two-time MP Kishan Patel by a margin of 2,08,412 votes from Valsad, considered the luckiest seat in the state.

Kishan Patel, who was given ticket by Congress for the third time as he had won in 2004 when Congress-led UPA-1 was formed, got 4,08,003 votes while BJP’s KC Patel secured 6,16,415 votes.

It has remained a coincidence that a political party that wins Valsad seat forms the government at the Centre. Valsad, one of the 26 seats of Gujarat, is considered auspicious for political parties as local leaders see it as the “gateway” to Delhi.

The belief of the political parties has been validated by the past records, which indicate that the Atal Bihari Vajpayee led-BJP won the seat for the first time in 1996 that helped the party form a government though for 13 days.

Vajpayee again got elected as Prime Minister in 1998 and 1999 and Valsad was then also won by BJP. However in 2004, Congress candidate Kishan Patel clinched the seat from BJP and his party formed a coalition government at the Centre.

Again in 2009, Congress repeated Kishan Patel, who won by getting 7,169 more votes than BJP’s DC Patel. The trend has been repeated again, as the BJP candidate today won the seat and the saffron party a landslide victory. — PTI

Gateway to Delhi

• The party winning the Valsad seat in Gujarat forms the government at the Centre going by records of the past two decades
• This time, the BJP’s KC Patel beat Congress’ two-time MP Kishan Patel from Valsad
• The AB Vajpayee led-BJP won the seat for the first time in 1996 that helped the party form a government though for 13 days
• Vajpayee again got elected as PM in 1998 and 1999 and Valsad was then also won by BJP.