BJP sees big 'victory' in Patel's Rajya Sabha win

New Delhi: Losing the crucial Rajya Sabha seat to Congress in Gujarat is still a victory for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as saffron party insiders believe that they have been able to demolish the morale of the Congress prior to the Assembly elections.

According to sources, the BJP has held Election Commission responsible for the 'defeat' as the apex poll panel's decision is not in accordance with the constitutional provisions of the Rajya Sabha elections.

"The party is mulling to challenge the EC order in the respective courts. The verdict of the poll panel would be challenged by by BJP's Rajya Sabha candidate Balvantsinh Rajput either in Delhi High Court or Gujarat HC in coming days," a party insider said, adding that the party is consulting legal experts to take its final call on challenging the poll panel decision.

"It's a grand victory of the BJP. We have successfully destroyed the confidence of Congress in Gujarat as the party's key candidate Ahmad Patel, who had claimed the support of 61 MLAs, got only 44 votes, which is enough to believe that Congress is nowhere in the race in Gujarat assembly elections," the source said.

The elections to the three Rajya Sabha seats from Gujarat were held on Tuesday. Two uncontested seats were won by BJP president Amit Shah and Union I&B and Textile Minister Smriti Irani.

The third was a contest between Ahmed Patel, who is Congress president Sonia Gandhi's political secretary, and BJP's high-profile candidate Balvantsinh Rajput (a defector from the Congress). Patel secured 44 votes to retain his RS seat after the EC invalidated the votes of two rebel Congress MLAs ahead of counting.