Police arrested a Christian priest and were questioning members of a seminary after a hardline Hindu group accused them of trying to convert villagers to Christianity by distributing Bibles and singing carols, police said on Saturday.

The priest was arrested on Friday after a member of the Bajrang Dal, a powerful Hindu group associated with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ruling party, accused 50 members of a seminary of distributing the Bible, photos of Jesus Christ and singing carols in a village in Madhya Pradesh.

"Our members have registered a criminal case because we have proof to show how Christian priests were forcibly converting poor Hindus," said Abhay Kumar Dhar, a senior member of the Bajrang Dal in Bhopal, the capital of Madhya Pradesh.

The Bajrang Dal has direct links with the ruling Hindu-nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Madhya Pradesh, governed by the BJP, has strict religious conversion laws. People must give formal notice to local administrators in order to change religion.

"We have arrested the priest but have not booked him under the anti-conversion law because the probe into the allegations is still on," said Rajesh Hingankar, the investigating official in Satna district, where the incident occurred.

The Catholic Bishops' Conference of India said they were "shocked, and pained at the unprovoked violence against Catholic priests and seminarians".

"We were only singing carols, but the hardline Hindus attacked us and said we were on a mission to make India a Christian nation ... that's not true," said Anish Emmanuel, a member of the St. Ephrem's Theological College in Satna.

Two senior police officials in Bhopal said they had detained six members of the Bajrang Dal who had allegedly torched a car owned by a Christian priest in Satna, 480 km northeast of Bhopal.

Religious conversion is a sensitive issue in India, with Hindu groups often accusing Christian missionaries of using cash, kind and marriage to lure poor villagers to convert to their faith.

Modi's government has been criticised for failing to do enough to stop attacks on minority Christians and Muslims by hardline Hindu groups.

The government rejects the allegation and denies any bias against Christians or Muslims.

There are other things which probably amount to a bit of flirting. Rupert Murdoch on allegations of sexual misconduct at Fox News

The culture at Fox News won’t change until you publicly accept that it has been a breeding ground for sexual misconduct over the past two decades. Tamara Holder

VADGAM, Gujarat -- As far as "youthquakes" go, it is no exaggeration to say that Gujarat has witnessed one in the form of Jignesh Mevani, Hardik Patel and Alpesh Thakor -- three young leaders who have given the Bharatiya Janata Party its toughest electoral fight since the Hindu nationalist party came to power in the state in 1995.

Over the past few months, Mevani, a rising Dalit leader, Patel and Thakor, faces of the Patidar community and Other Backward Classes (OBC) respectively, have set aside their ideological differences and come together for the sole purpose of defeating the BJP in the 2017 Gujarat Assembly election.

Earlier this week, Mevani, who is fighting his first election as an independent candidate, told me, "Fascism is fascism. It will ruin our country if we stay silent any longer."

Whether Mevani wins or loses on Monday, the 37-year-old Dalit leader's fiery and irreverent rhetoric targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi has irked the BJP. Last week, party president Amit Shah accused him of taking funds from an "anti-national" group. In one of the many communal remarks made during the course of the campaign, Hindu nationalists used the term 'HAJ' to describe the trio of Hardik, Alpesh and Jignesh and 'RAM' to describe Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, Shah and Modi.

When I first spoke with Mevani in August, 2016, the big question was whether he would be a flash in the pan or succeed in fanning the Dalit agitation that had erupted in Gujarat after a chilling episode of caste violence.

On July 11, 2016, four Dalit men were tied to a car and thrashed by cow vigilantes in the town of Una for skinning a dead cow. A viral video of the public flogging triggered widespread protests, with Mevani emerging as the face of the Dalit movement in the state. At the time, Mevani, a law graduate who had worked for some years as a journalist, told me that he would not let the fledgling movement die. "Dalits need to realise that they can be what anyone else can be," he had said.

When I saw him in his constituency of Vadgam, just over one year later, Mevani was holding a rally with Congress Party (now) president Rahul Gandhi. When I met him, a few days later, he was gathering people who would stay vigilant when votes are counted on December 18. Dressed in a green khadi shirt, black trousers and sports shoes, the Dalit leader stood out among the throng of politicians dressed in white kurtas and sandals. He laughed and said, "Well, I guess I have kept my promise to HuffPost. I think it is evident that I'm here and here to stay."

Mevani, however, is walking a tightrope. On the one hand, the Dalit leader is working with the Congress to defeat the BJP. In fact, the Congress has not fielded a candidate in Vadgam, a seat which it has won thrice since 1998, to give Mevani his best shot at winning. On the other hand, Mevani refuses to be co-opted by the Grand Old Party, which he believes would be contrary to the ideological underpinnings of the Dalit movement.

For over an hour, Mevani spoke about walking the tightrope, his dream of taking down the BJP, life lessons, and dressing like a politician.

Fascism is fascism. It will ruin our country if we stay silent any longer.

Edited excerpts:

Are you nervous about the election result?

No, I feel like I've already won. I was under the impression that contesting electoral politics is something that doesn't go with me. But the kind of love and affection that I've got from people in my constituency is stunning, sublime and supreme. It is devastatingly great. The figure that will come out on the 18th can go in my favor or against me, but I've won a lot of hearts. The amount of youth that I could engage with is an investment for the future. It will be a major breakthrough if I win.

If you don't win?

I will continue with the struggle. Our movement is political. Politics is not just about electoral politics. I'm not shying away from that ever.

Why have you made beating the BJP your life's mission?

The BJP originates from the RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh) which is a fascist force rooted in an ideology that can be traced back to Hitler and Mussolini. They can go to any extent. They can destroy whatever little democracy that we are left with. They can destroy our goal of creating a secular and socialist democracy. If the BJP comes to power in 2019 then this country will be a banana republic. Then, I should not be surprised that you get killed for doing a story and you should not be surprised if I get killed for organizing a rally. That is what fascism is. I want Dalits, who are 18% of the population in India, to mercilessly vote against the BJP in 2019.

I want Dalits, who are 18% of the population in India, to mercilessly vote against the BJP in 2019.

You are working with parties and people from all kinds of political backgrounds, convictions and agendas. How do you reconcile your differences?

When you are fighting against fascism, against the BJP, each pro-poor face has to come together and keep aside their ideological disputes and problems. Fascism is fascism. It will ruin our country if we stay silent any longer. There are contradictions between the Patels and Dalits, Dalits and OBCs, OBCs and Patels. But still Alpesh, Hardik and I are together because our principal contradiction is against the BJP. We all feel that we are the victims of the "Gujarat model." But that does not mean that the contradiction that lies beneath will not surface. It will and we will resolve it.

Has the past year changed you?

It has made me more pragmatic and wise. I've learned to navigate the politics. Gujarat produces great social activists but they remain stuck. They are not able to do anything electorally and there is not much expansion on the ground. In politics, you learn to carve your way out.

Gujarat produces great social activists but they remain stuck. In politics, you learn to carve your way out.

How do you mean?

So, had I not been wise and pragmatic I would not have decided to contest from this seat. I'm contesting from this seat because I want to win and don't want to remain stuck.

You mean your standing from a seat that Congress already had a good chance of winning?

Yes. I would never allow my values to get distorted but I have learnt you have to make compromises to further the agenda, not for personal gain but the agenda of the public. Ideology is not an end in itself.

What's the end?

The end should be concrete changes in the lives of people. Ultimately, in the final analysis, we have to construct a classless society. The idea of creating a classless society keeps putting enormous pressure on me every single day.

Ideology is not an end in itself.

What is your plan after the election is over?

I want to immediately give a call for 160 Dalit youths to commit 15 days of their life to me. I will ask them to go to 160 nagar palikas where sanitation workers are denied even minimum wages. I want the sanitation workers to go for a massive strike. Even if there is one-fourth success, it will ensure minimum wage to at least 15,000 people. I will launch a program for the Valmikis who are the Dalit among Dalits and I want to launch platform for Dalit-Muslim unity. I will be plunging into movements. I'm 90% an agitator.

You sound like Arvind Kejriwal.

No. Arvind is Arvind. I'm, well, me.

Do you think being a politician could derail you from your goal?

Not at all. When you become an MLA, there is an aura that he is an MLA. He is a neta. There is more chance of people joining us. I want to use the bourgeois glamour for the cause of the poor people.

I want to use the bourgeois glamour for the cause of the poor people.

You recently had a rally with Rahul Gandhi. What did you think of him?

We didn't talk much on the day of the rally. I've met him twice and he seems to be a reasonable guy. He wants to engage a lot of youth in his party and he is open for dialogue. That is my primary impression.

Why did you not want to join Congress?

I want my identity to remain intact. It was fabulous for me that a cadre of the Congress was working for me, a cadre from a Dalit party was working for me, a cadre from the Aam Aadmi Party was here, an MLA from the CPI (ML) stayed for days and campaigned for me, Swaraj India's Yogendra Yadav campaigned for me, and CPI's Milind Ranade from Maharashtra was here. Many of these political parties would not have shared a stage if I had not been there.

People believe that you will eventually join Congress.

No, I'm not joining. It's an understanding. It's not even an alliance. It is a win-win situation. If it had not been a win-win situation, Rahul Gandhi being potentially prime minister material, would not get himself clicked with me.

Would you like to be prime minister?

Very much.

What did you make of the BJP campaign?

It was communal, it was nonsensical, it was irrelevant. Modi did not create the vibes that he was able to create earlier. He has not been able to catch people's imagination. He sounded very boring, continuously repeating himself, with no data to place before the people. He sounded like someone whose time has gone. The struggle is in 2019. It will be a mentally aging Modi against the 50-crore youth of this country, many of them unemployed and desperate for change.

It will be a mentally aging Modi against the 50-crore youth of this country, many of them unemployed and desperate for change.

You can't deny how popular Modi is even among the youth.

He isn't anymore.

He won Uttar Pradesh for the BJP – again – even after demonetization.

Modi is a media creation. There are agencies in the world that can manufacture consent for you. They can project you in a certain manner by pumping in enormous money. And there is no denying the communal bias among the people of this country. The section of youth who are under the clutch of Hindutva like him. His Goebbelsian rhetoric of development suited the neoliberal climate and the aspirations of the urban middle class youth.

How will you counter Amit Shah and Narendra Modi's strategy of eroding caste-based voting and uniting the electorate under the Hindu banner? (BJP won 69 out of 85 reserved seats in the UP-Assembly election).

Babasaheb Ambedkar said that most Hindus are not Hindus - they belong to a caste – but they become Hindus when it comes to killing Muslims. Otherwise we think, interpret and analyze in terms of caste. People even marry in terms of caste. They stay together on the basis of their caste identity. We are a caste-ridden society. But the BJP, many times, has managed to take people out of their caste identity and make them think as a monolithic entity. In the case of UP, in my understanding, Dalits did not become Hindu but somehow, they found the BSP (Bahujan Samaj Party led by Mayawati) becoming irrelevant. In Gujarat, however, Dalits are not with the BJP.

Since Dalits, more or less, have supported the Congress in Gujarat then what is your role in the state's electoral politics?

Making the anti-BJP Dalit front even stronger through my struggles on the ground and raising the material issues which unfortunately has not been the agenda of the movement of late. Everything I've done in the past two years has got stunning media coverage because I can articulate. I've got a lot of space on television channels where I bash Modi every day, very often below the belt. I'm a rogue on television debates. The Dalit population of the country is seeing one of its youth leaders giving gaali to the BJP all the time. This will help in 2019. The national election is my concern even more than the Gujarat election. Alpesh and Hardik may not be able to do much outside led Gujarat but I can.

The national election is my concern even more than the Gujarat election. Alpesh and Hardik may not be able to do much outside led Gujarat but I can.

Do you think speaking in English is important in politics? Modi has relied on Gujarati and Hindi.

I don't think in English. If I go on an English news channel, I will tell them that I will speak in Hindi. I think mostly in Gujarati. I'm fine with English, but not fluent. But I do think that English is important. Politics is also about perception. You have to send the message across that you are smart. English appeals more to the urban elite middle class.

What is the question from the media that annoys you the most?

Congress ka agent hai. They try to diminish the ideology I stand for by linking me to the Congress.

Will it be tough to bounce back if the BJP wins Gujarat again?

If the BJP wins again - after the Dalit movement, the Patidar movement, the ASHA workers, the anganwaadi ki behne, the farmers' movement, Alpesh - it will be a setback to the poor people of this country. I will be sad. I will be sad because I can visualize what I could have done. I would love to be in the position to give an incredible boost to the Dalit movement.

Do you find yourself projecting yourself differently now that you could be a neta, how you speak and the way you dress?

I'm trying to be nicer when I talk. I'm not always successful. I get about 250 to 300 calls on my mobile, every day. I changed my number and gave my old phone to someone on my team. He has gone mad. There are some really crazy calls. People will call after midnight and simply say, "We are sitting in a chaupal with our friends - Jay Bhim." Imagine.

I haven't changed the way I dress. I still wear rotten clothes. I bought eight to ten kurtas of different colors for the election. I'm really enjoying wearing kurtas.

What is the life lesson that you have learnt in the past year?

This is an endless struggle. You need to be creative and innovative at every step. This country has produced great Marx scholars but people found them to be dull. It is very important to catch the imagination of the people. But there can be no compromise on the actual struggle at the grassroots. You can be nothing if you don't actually work for the people.

You can be nothing if you don't actually work for the people.

Also read: Win, Lose Or Draw, Rahul Gandhi Has Emerged Stronger From Gujarat

'Muslim Vote? Does Muslim Life Even Matter In India,' Asks A Gujarati Doctor On Election Day

In The Age Of Competitive Hindutva Politics, Young Muslims Want A Hardik Patel Of Their Own

Also on HuffPost India:

8:57 pm: Final tally has BJP winning a majority with 99 seats, which is 17 fewer than the 2012 assembly election in the state. Their total vote share in this election is 49.1%, which is an improvement from the last election (47.85%).

Congress won 77 seats, with a 41.4% of the vote share. This is a remarkable improvement from 2012, when it won 60 seats and got 38.93% of the vote share.

8:50 pm: BJP has won 98 seats, while Congress' tally is at 76. Both parties are leading in one constituency each. The Nationalist Congress Party has won one seat, the Bharatiya Tribal Party has won two seats, and independent candidates have won three others.

8:31 pm: Congress has won 76 seats, and is leading in one constituency.

7:56 pm: BJP has won 97 seats, and is leading in two constituencies. Counting is still underway in three seats.

7:44 pm: Congress has won 75 seats, and is leading in two constituencies. This is a marked improvement over its tally in 2012, when it won 60 seats. The party's vote share is 41.4%.

6:50 pm: PM Modi takes a dig at Congress, refers to caste politics as "poison".

30 years back, poison of caste was spread so badly in Gujarat that it took workers like me 30 years to get rid of it. In last few months there were attempts again to sow seeds of casteism, but people rejected it,I congratulate them, but ppl must be alert: PM Narendra Modi pic.twitter.com/srlI5bsa3Y

— ANI (@ANI) December 18, 2017

6:45 pm: "The Gujarat polls are a source of double happiness for me," Modi tells audience. "I am so happy that after I left the state, my colleagues there continued the good work."

"After 2014, there is hunger for development. Even if you do not like BJP, do not try to derail the progress being made towards development."

6:36 pm: Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses press conference in BJP headquarters in New Delhi. "The Gujarat elections are historic," he says. "Any victory to an incumbent government is a big victory."

In Gujarat, BJP won all the seats it contested in 1989 Lok Sabha polls. We won most of the seats we contested in 1990. In 1995, in 1998, in 2002, in 2007 and in 2012 we won. We won most seats in Lok Sabha polls too: PM Modi pic.twitter.com/zRzXTk9bC1

— ANI (@ANI) December 18, 2017

6:29 pm: BJP wins 93 seats to get a majority in Gujarat. It will form government in the state for the sixth consecutive time.

6:16 pm: BJP is at the halfway mark, with 91 seats. It needs one more win to officially win the assembly election. It is leading in eight constituencies.

5:52 pm: BJP has won 85 seats, is projected to win in 14 others. It needs seven more seats to form government in Gujarat. Congress has won 71 seats, and is leading in six other constituencies.

5:17 pm: BJP wins 84 seats, leads in 15 constituencies. Congress wins in 70 seats, leads in seven others.

5:03 pm:

"I would like to give credit for this victory to the people of Gujarat, also give assurance that in the coming 5 years BJP will work towards what the people of the state want" says Gujarat CM Vijay Rupani pic.twitter.com/YpoQa4R9cH

— ANI (@ANI) December 18, 2017

4:30 pm: Congress party president Rahul Gandhi concedes defeat, thanks voters.

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 that the Congress's greatest strength is its decency and courage.

— Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) December 18, 2017

4:25 pm: "We won comfortably increased our vote share," says Amit Shah of the Gujarat elections in a press conference. "It was not a close contest at all."

BJP's vote share so far, according to Election Commission data, is 49.1% in Gujarat. Congress' share is 41.4%.

4:18 pm: BJP has won in 68 seats, while Congress has won 59 seats.

I congratulate Gujarat voters for their very balanced verdict at this hour.
It is a temporary and face-saving win, but it shows a moral defeat for BJP.
Gujarat voted against atrocities, anxiety and injustice caused to the common people. Gujarat belled the cat for 2019

— Mamata Banerjee (@MamataOfficial) December 18, 2017

4:08 pm: "We are now entering an era of politics of performance. In this new age, the party that does the most will get victory," Amit Shah says in press conference. "This is the sixth time we are going to form government in Gujarat."

We are confident that when we go into 2019 elections under the leadership of PM Modi we will once again get people's support and Modi ji's aim for the youth in 2022 will become a reality: Amit Shah, BJP President #HimachalResults#GujaratVerdictpic.twitter.com/ZpxjURYLvy

— ANI (@ANI) December 18, 2017

3:50 pm:

Congress workers who have spent months campaigning in Gujarat say, "We're disappointed but not despondent." #GujaratVerdict#GujaratElection2017@HuffPostIndia

— Betwa Sharma (@betwasharma) December 18, 2017

3:45 pm: BJP wins 53 seats, Congress wins 47. BJP is leading in 46 constituencies while Congress is up in 30 others.

3:31 pm: Prime Minister Narendra Modi declares victory in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh, thanks voters.

"Election results in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh indicate a strong support for politics of good governance and development," he tweeted. "I salute the hardworking BJP Karyakartas in these states for their hardwork which has led to these impressive victories."

जीता विकास, जीता गुजरात।

जय जय गरवी गुजरात!

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) December 18, 2017

3:20 pm: Hardik Patel alleges that EVM machines are tampered in Surat.

3:07 pm:

"I express my gratitude to the people of Vadgam for all their support. Now I will raise the voice of Gujarat's discriminated sections in the assembly," says #JigneshMevani who is leading by 19696 votes from Vadgam #ElectionResultspic.twitter.com/IsInhayZ4M

— ANI (@ANI) December 18, 2017

2:57 pm:

Flags out in Gandhinagar as BJP leads in 100 "Jai Shri Ram" #GujaratVerdict#GujaratElection2017@HuffPostIndiapic.twitter.com/DqmgHnbv9D

— Betwa Sharma (@betwasharma) December 18, 2017

2:19 pm: BJP has won 18 seats, and is leading in 82 constituencies. Congress has won 15 seats and is leading in 62 constituencies.

1:55 pm: Dalit leader Jignesh Mevani flashes victory sign. The 37-year-old is all set to win his maiden election from Vadgam.

pic.twitter.com/g8mn5CmLy6

— Jignesh Mevani (@jigneshmevani80) December 18, 2017

1:50 pm:

Abhi toh kuch nahi bolunga kyunki woh haal hi mein adhyaksh bane hain lekin 'sar mundwate hi ole pade': Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Rahul Gandhi #ElectionResultspic.twitter.com/6q8eMW1lZD

— ANI (@ANI) December 18, 2017

Undoubtedly, a major victory. The kind of work which Party workers have done right from booth workers level till PM's level, everybody put their best foot forward and both #Gujarat & #HimachalPradesh have recognised the good work going on in the name of development: N Sitharaman pic.twitter.com/HfkCleQlCZ

— ANI (@ANI) December 18, 2017

1:34 pm: BJP has won 10 seats, while Congress has won 8.

1:15 pm: BJP workers in various parts of the country start celebrating.

Maharashtra: BJP workers celebrate in Pune #GujaratVerdict#HimachalPradeshElectionspic.twitter.com/Qwa3QnhO3x

— ANI (@ANI) December 18, 2017

J&K: BJP workers celebrate in Jammu #GujaratVerdict#HimachalPradeshElectionspic.twitter.com/U46PBpRlCc

— ANI (@ANI) December 18, 2017

BJP workers celebrate outside party Headquarter in #Delhi as trends indicate party's victory in both #Himachal and #Gujaratpic.twitter.com/oyZyVi3Riz

— ANI (@ANI) December 18, 2017

Celebrations in #Mumbai as trends indicate BJP's victory in both #Himachal and #Gujarat#ElectionResults2017pic.twitter.com/bWpAQRmqOv

— ANI (@ANI) December 18, 2017

Scene at BJP Headquarter in #Delhi as trends indicate party's victory in both #Himachal and #Gujaratpic.twitter.com/x1LKJMGnta

— ANI (@ANI) December 18, 2017

12:48 pm: BJP has won in four constituencies, and is leading in 98 others. Congress has won one seat and is leading in 73 constituencies.

12:37 pm:

"It is a matter of happiness for us, this is the victory of development," says Union Minister Smriti Irani, on a question about Congress giving a tough fight she said, "jo jeeta wohi sikandar. It is victory of every booth worker's hard work & the people who trusted development" pic.twitter.com/oJMQKK45NV

— ANI (@ANI) December 18, 2017

12:28 pm: Gujarat deputy CM Nitinbhai Patel has taken a clear lead in Mahesana over Congress' Jivabhai Patel. BJP is leading by about 7,000 votes in the constituency.

12:25 pm:

"If Rahul Gandhi wants to visit another temple, he should go the Ram Temple that we will build in Ayodhya," says BJP worker Umesh Israni #GujaratVerdict#GujaratElection2017@HuffPostIndiapic.twitter.com/qJvxPiB9mA

— Betwa Sharma (@betwasharma) December 18, 2017

12:22 pm: BJP has won two seats and is leading in 102 constituencies. Congress has won in one seat and is leading in 71 constituencies.

12:00 pm: Gujarat CM Vijat Rupani will retain his Rajkot West seat.

11:43 am: BJP is leading in 103 constituencies, and has won in Porbandar. Congress is leading in 72 constituencies.

11:37 am: Election Commission declares BJP victory in Porbandar constituency. The BJP candidate won over their Congress rival by about 2,000 votes.

And so it begins at the BJP office in Gandhinagar: "Gujarat hamara hai, poora Bharat hamara hai"..."Desh ka leader kaisa ho, Narendra Modi jaisa ho"... "Bharat Mata Ki Jai"... "Jai Shri Ram Jai Shri Ram" #GujaratVerdict#GujaratElection2017@HuffPostIndiapic.twitter.com/tvKIPGXqey

— Betwa Sharma (@betwasharma) December 18, 2017

11:30 am: It's a neck and neck contest between Gujarat deputy CM Nitinbhai Patel and Congress' Jivabhai Patel in Mahesana with barely a difference of 500 votes between them. BJP is leading in the constituency, but by a whisker.

11:12 am: Dalit leader and independent candidate Jignesh Mevani has a clear lead in Vadgam, while OBC leader Alpesh Thakor who is contesting as a Congress candidate from Radhanpur is also leading with 9,000 more votes than the trailing BJP candidate.

11:00 am:

PM Modi flashes victory sign as BJP takes unassailable lead in #GujaratVerdict, #HimachalPradeshElections

Read @ANI story | https://t.co/Xduu9Dr1mKpic.twitter.com/c4Ey7YDoWQ

— ANI Digital (@ani_digital) December 18, 2017

10:57 am: Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani has a clear lead at Rajkot West with close to 33,000 votes. Congress' Indranil Rajguru is far behind at 17,551 votes.

ALSO READ: Congress Can Never Hijack Hindutva From The BJP, Says Gujarat's Deputy CM

10:55 am: BJP leading in 99 constituencies, while Congress is up in 71. BJP's vote share is 49.1% as compared to Congress' 41.5%.

10:42 am:

"Will form Government in both Himachal and Gujarat with clear majority" says Home Minister Rajnath Singh #HimachalPradeshElections2017#GujaratVerdictpic.twitter.com/TZymBvklV7

— ANI (@ANI) December 18, 2017

10:38 am:

Sadhu Ram Yadav has come all the way from Rajasthan to Gujarat to shout "Modi Modi" - at the BJP office in Gandhinagar. #GujaratVerdict#GujaratElection2017pic.twitter.com/VAxNLF71nW

— Betwa Sharma (@betwasharma) December 18, 2017

10:27 am: BJP leads in 95 out of 182 constituencies, Congress leads in 68. The BJP vote share is currently at 48.7%.

10:12 am: Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani swings back up with a clear lead in Rajkot West constituency. He is about 4,000 votes ahead of Congress' Indranil Rajguru. Counting is still in progress.

10:02 am: BJP leading in 86 constituencies, while Congress is leading in 66. Vote share between the two parties is divided almost evenly.

9:55 am: Independent candidate Jignesh Mevani, a Dalit leader fighting his first election, is leading in Vadgam constituency, with the BJP candidate trailing. Read his interview with HuffPost Indiahere.

9:47 am: Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani is trailing in Rajkot West, with Congress' Indranil Guru leading with about 400 more votes than Rupani. It's a neck and neck contest.

9:44 am: Gujarat deputy CM Nitinbhai Patel leading in Mahesana constituency with 4,297 votes. Congress' Jivabhai Ambalal Patel is close behind with 3,703 votes. Counting is still in progress.

9:33 am: BJP leads in 56 constituencies, with Congress close behind with leads in 50 constituencies. The Nationalist Congress Party, Bharatiya Tribal Party, and an independent candidate are leading in one constituency each.

9:22 am: BJP leading in 48 constituencies, Congress in 40. The Nationalist Congress Party is leading in one constituency.

9:18 am: Early trends show BJP leading in 24 constituencies, while Congress leads in 21 constituencies.

9:03 am: Congress leading in13 constituencies, while BJP is up in 10 constituencies.

8:59 am: BJP leads in seven constituencies: Bhavnagar East, Bhavnagar Rural, Ghatlodia, Nadiad, Porbandar, Umbergaon, Valsad. Congress is leading in six: Bhavnagar West, Dahod, Gariadhar, Mahudha, Mandvi, Talaja.

#UttarPradesh Supporters perform 'Havan' in #Varanasi as counting of votes continues for Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh assembly elections pic.twitter.com/V5yOEgOo71

— ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) December 18, 2017

8:52 am: BJP leading in six constituencies, Congress in three. 51% of vote share to BJP at the moment, while 42.5% to Congress.

8:47 am: BJP and Congress both leading in two constituencies each.

EC Official Trends for #GujaratElection2017: BJP leading on 2 seats, Porbandar & Bhavnagar East; Congress also leading on 2 seats, Mandvi & Nadiad.

— ANI (@ANI) December 18, 2017

8:00 am: Counting of votes has begun in Gujarat, where exit polls suggest a win for the Bharatiya Janata Party, which has not lost in the state assembly elections since 1995.

ALSO READ:

Jignesh Mevani: 'Fascism Is Fascism. It'll Ruin Our Country'

'Does Muslim Life Even Matter In India,' Asks A Doctor In Gujarat

Young Muslims Want A Hardik Patel Of Their Own

Win, Lose Or Draw, Rahul Gandhi Has Emerged Stronger From Gujarat

GANDHINAGAR, Gujarat — If the exit polls are to be believed, the Bharatiya Janata Party has prevailed over its rivals, old and new, and will emerge victorious in the 2017 Assembly election today.

But no matter who wins or loses today, both the national parties are guilty of indulging in competitive Hindutva politics to win the state polls. Neither the ruling party nor the Congress have addressed Muslims, almost 10 percent of Gujarat'S population, in the course of their respective campaigns.

While the BJP's silent treatment came as no surprise, the Congress too was careful not say or do anything that would appear as minority appeasement.

With Rahul Gandhi's temple visiting spree gaining traction and media attention, the BJP was somewhat rattled by the Congress' transparent play for Hindu votes. Hindu nationalists hit back with a slew of communal remarks, proving that no one can do Hindutva quite like the saffron party.

On the eve of counting day, HuffPost India caught up with Gujarat's Deputy Chief Minister Nitinbhai Ratilal Patel to ask why the BJP continues falling back on religious polarization to win elections. The 61-year-old leader told us that he is not worried about the Congress hijacking Hindutva from the BJP. "The Congress won't do it because they have told the Muslims that they are not communal and they are not pro-Hindu," he said.

There has been some speculation that if the BJP wins the election, Patel, the lawmaker from Mahesana, who belongs to the powerful Patidar community, could be the next chief minister of Gujarat. But for that to happen, Patel will have to win Mahesana, which was starting point of of the Hardik Patel-led Patidar agitation against the BJP.

Edited excerpts:

Why did BJP leaders again fall back on communal remarks during the campaign? For instance, Prime Minister Narendra Modi compared Rahul Gandhi's elevation to "Aurangzeb Raj."

We did not take up communal issues. It is the Congress leaders who gave us these issues. When Rahul Gandhi was filling the form to be the Congress president, it was their netas who brought up dynasty and Aurangzeb. They made the connection. Then our people made the issue. If they would not have said it then we would not have said it.

(Former Congress lawmaker Mani Shankar Aiyar has accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP of distorting his remarks).

What about the PM claiming interference by Pakistan in the election, what about Yogi Adityanath saying that Rahul Gandhi was sitting in the namaz position in a temple?

It was important to raise these issues because they started it. If Rahul Gandhi had regularly visited temples then none of these issues would have come up. When I go to the temple, there are no questions. When Narendra Modi goes to temples, whether it is in India, Nepal or abroad, there are no questions. There are no questions because he is a Hindu and goes naturally to temples for darshan. Rahul Gandhi did not visit temples earlier, but he suddenly started. In Gujarat, he went to 22 temples. (Gandhi visited 25 temples). People thought it was election drama. This drama became widely talked about.

But how does it warrant Yogi Adityanath's remark?

It was said because perhaps Rahul Gandhi does not know how to sit in a temple and that is why we made it a issue. There is a way of sitting in a temple, a mosque and in the church. If you don't know how then of course that will become a topic of discussion.

Is the BJP afraid of Congress hijacking Hindutva?

The Congress won't do it because they have told the Muslims that they are not communal and they are not pro-Hindu. If they are pro-Hindu, then going to temples is just a start. Rahul Gandhi will have to give a statement saying that Ram Temple should be built in Ayodhya. The Congress will have to campaign for it. If you recall, the Congress submitted an affidavit to the Supreme Court, saying that there was nothing like the Ram Setu bridge between India and Sri Lanka.

Now, they are saying that Rahul is "janeu dhaari". We think it is a good thing and we welcome his going to temples but people will see through it.

Both parties have ignored Muslims in this Assembly election. Why has the BJP not fielded a single Muslim representative since 1995?

We fight elections to win. The strategy is that every candidate from each seat should win. Our government has done a lot of things. We chose Dr. Abdul Kalam to be president. BJP did it. NDA did it.

Let's talk about Jignesh Mevani, Hardik Patel and Alpesh Thakor. Have they given the BJP its toughest electoral fight since 1995?

It has not happened because of them, it happened because of the public. The Patidar movement is because of the public. The other two are with the Congress, one directly and the other indirectly. The state of the Congress is worthy of pity because they don't have 182 candidates of their own to field. They have to support other people. Let's see what happens to the two people who are standing in the election.

The exit polls suggest that you are going to win. But do you acknowledge that Congress has made things hard for the BJP, this year?

Every party works to win every election. This year, Rahul Gandhi came. In the previous elections, Sonia Gandhi used to come. Each political party has to campaign among the people and ask them for votes. I don't understand why everyone is making such a big deal about it. Congress has done its work and we have done ours.

The BJP did appear rattled.

No. We are experienced. The BJP workers know how to fight elections. There were other issues during the 2007 and the 2012 elections. This time around, the issues are different. We had our strategies and we kept going. That's all.

Also on HuffPost India:

Gujarat Chief Minister and senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Vijay Rupani is leading his Congress rival Indranil Rajguru from Rajkot (West) by over 20,000 votes, three hours after counting began in Gujarat Assembly elections 2017.

Rupani polled 46159 votes while Rajguru secured 25359 votes, as per Election Commission data.

Rupani, for whom the Rajkot (West) is a prestige seat, was trailing to Rajguru after the first hour of counting of votes. It's a seat special for the BJP for many reasons, the main being that Prime Minister Narendra Modi won his first election in February 2002 from the constituency that was earlier known as Rajkot–II.

Considered a "safe seat" for the saffron party, Modi had personally campaigned from Rajkot (West) in the run up to the elections in Gujarat. In an emotional speech, he had said it is because of the people of Rajkot he made his way to New Delhi.

After being sworn in as the Chief Minister of Gujarat in October 2001, Modi won a by-election from Rajkot-II and went on to become a legislator in the state assembly.

In Mehsana, the seat of the Patidar agitation led by Hardik Patel, Deputy CM Nitin Patel is also leading the elections against the Congress's Jivabhai Patel by over 12000 votes.

The BJP is set to retain power in Gujarat.

Even as the BJP is in a neck and neck battle with the Congress in Gujarat, things look much smoother for them in the Himachal Pradesh Assembly polls, where trends show that the party is sent to win.

Party workers in the state are already in the celebratory mood as Election Commission results show that the BJP has won in 1 seat while leading in 105 seats, the Congress is trailing far behind leading in only 70 seats at the moment.

#HimachalPradeshElections2017: Pradesh: Workers celebrate at party office in Shimla as trends indicate BJP's victory in the state. pic.twitter.com/0SlktZd6J1

— ANI (@ANI) December 18, 2017

However, BJP chief ministerial candidate Prem Kumar Dhumal is trailing in Sujanpur. Incumbent Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh and his son Vikramaditya are leading in their seats in Arki and Shimla Rural.

Vikramaditya Singh had earlier in the day said Congress will win, but it looks highly unlikely.

Congress will form government in Himachal Pradesh: Vikramaditya Singh pic.twitter.com/8U0hYXZqtI

— NDTV Videos (@ndtvvideos) December 18, 2017

According to EC data, the incumbent CM is leading by over 4000 votes against BJP's Rattan Singh Pal. In Shimla Rural, his son is leading is also leading with over 4000 votes against BJP candidate Dr Pramod Sharma.

It's a close fight between Dhumal, who at the moment has a little over 10,000 votes, and Congress candidate Rajinder Rana who has over 12,000 votes.

The Indian Express had reported during the run up to the polls in the state that the Parivartan campaign started by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah had seen success, indicating winds of change in the state.

During the last elections in 2012, Dhumal had lost against Singh with the BJP winning only 26 seats against 36 seats won by the Congress.

But feverish campaigning by the Modi-Shah duo seems to have done the magic that it did in Uttarkhand and in Uttar Pradesh.

Dalit leader Jignesh Mevani has arrived with a bang. The independent candidate is swept the elections in Vadgam constituency with a huge victory over Bharatiya Janata Party rival Vijaykumar Harkhabhai. At over 95,000 votes, the 37-year-old won his first election by a huge margin of 20,000 votes.

"Fascism is fascism. It will ruin our country if we stay silent any longer," Mevani told HuffPost India's Betwa Sharma last week.

Vadgam is one of the dozen constituencies reserved for members of the scheduled caste community in Gujarat.

pic.twitter.com/g8mn5CmLy6

— Jignesh Mevani (@jigneshmevani80) December 18, 2017

Congress had withdrawn its candidate from Vadgam to help Mevani in the contest. Congress had won the seat in the last three elections. Aam Aadmi Party too announced in a statement that it would not field a candidate from Vadgam.

Mevani, a law graduate and former journalist, had emerged as a leader of a Dalit agitation in Gujarat after four Dalit men were tied to a car and beaten up in Una for skinning a dead cow.

"Shock therapy needs to be given to some individuals from upper castes," he had said at the time.

A year later, Mevani appears to have kept his promise.

ALSO READ: The Leader Of The Fledgling Dalit Uprising In Gujarat Is Determined To Not Let It Die

After a neck and neck battle with the Congress in Gujarat, the BJP seems to be coming to power in both Himachal Pradesh and Prime Minister Narendra Modi's home state. After the initial struggle that had party workers worried, celebrations have begun in BJP offices across the country.

Leaders of the party including Rajnath Singh, Smriti Irani and others have hailed it as the good work of party workers. Meanwhile, the Congress have been largely silent has they have lost state after state to the BJP since it came to power at the Centre in 2014.

Here are some reactions to BJP's big in in Himachal Pradesh and Gujarat:

BJP chief Amit Shah called it a win against communalism, dynastic politics and politics of appeasement:

गुजरात और हिमाचल प्रदेश विधानसभा चुनावों में भाजपा की जीत..जातिवाद, वंशवाद और तुष्टीकरण के खिलाफ प्रधानमंत्री श्री @narendramodi जी के विकासवाद की जीत है ।

— Amit Shah (@AmitShah) December 18, 2017

Prime Minister Narendra Modi called it a victory for Gujarat and development:

जीता विकास, जीता गुजरात।

जय जय गरवी गुजरात!

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) December 18, 2017

Election results in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh indicate a strong support for politics of good governance and development. I salute the hardworking BJP Karyakartas in these states for their hardwork which has led to these impressive victories.

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) December 18, 2017

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.

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) December 18, 2017

Congress President Rahul Gandhi conceded defeat saying:

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.

— Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) December 18, 2017

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 that the Congress's greatest strength is its decency and courage.

— Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) December 18, 2017

Union minister Rajnath Singh refused to make a comment, but did flash the victory sign.

Delhi: Union Minister Rajnath Singh flashes victory sign outside Parliament as trends indicate BJP's victory in both Gujarat & Himachal Pradesh #GujaratVerdict#HimachalPradeshElections2017pic.twitter.com/8x8q5gGNsp

— ANI (@ANI) December 18, 2017

Abhi toh kuch nahi bolunga kyunki woh haal hi mein adhyaksh bane hain lekin 'sar mundwate hi ole pade': Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Rahul Gandhi #ElectionResultspic.twitter.com/6q8eMW1lZD

— ANI (@ANI) December 18, 2017

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee congratulated voters of Gujarat for a 'balanced verdict':

I congratulate Gujarat voters for their very balanced verdict at this hour.
It is a temporary and face-saving win, but it shows a moral defeat for BJP.
Gujarat voted against atrocities, anxiety and injustice caused to the common people. Gujarat belled the cat for 2019

— Mamata Banerjee (@MamataOfficial) December 18, 2017

First time candidate Jigensh Mevani said:

"I express my gratitude to the people of Vadgam for all their support. Now I will raise the voice of Gujarat's discriminated sections in the assembly," says #JigneshMevani who is leading by 19696 votes from Vadgam #ElectionResultspic.twitter.com/IsInhayZ4M

— ANI (@ANI) December 18, 2017

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath praised the BJP leadership and took a dig at the Congress

People have rejected divisive politics of Congress, this win is due to the dynamic leadership of BJP and the hard work of BJP workers: Yogi Adityanath,UP CM on #ElectionResultspic.twitter.com/E3BrGhanCc

— ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) December 18, 2017

Maine pehle hi kaha tha ki Congress ka netritve badalna BJP ke liye shubh sanket hoga: Yogi Adityanath,UP CM on #ElectionResultspic.twitter.com/kfYUdGBCms

— ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) December 18, 2017

Union Minister Nirmala Sitharam said people have recognised BJP's good work in the name of development:

Undoubtedly, a major victory. The kind of work which Party workers have done right from booth workers level till PM's level, everybody put their best foot forward and both #Gujarat & #HimachalPradesh have recognised the good work going on in the name of development: N Sitharaman pic.twitter.com/HfkCleQlCZ

— ANI (@ANI) December 18, 2017

Smriti Irani too called it a victory for development:

"It is a matter of happiness for us, this is the victory of development," says Union Minister Smriti Irani, on a question about Congress giving a tough fight she said, "jo jeeta wohi sikandar. It is victory of every booth worker's hard work & the people who trusted development" pic.twitter.com/oJMQKK45NV

— ANI (@ANI) December 18, 2017

BJP leader Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi congratulated Narendra Modi and Amit Shah:

Congratulations to PM Shri @narendramodi, BJP President Shri @AmitShah and all the workers of @BJP4India for victory in Gujarat & Himachal Pradesh Assembly elections. pic.twitter.com/WSszz7c1g6

— Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi (@naqvimukhtar) December 18, 2017

Meanwhile, PTI quoted him as saying, "Jo jeeta wohi Sikandar. This is the message to those who joked about vikas."

While the BJP was in a celebratory mood, Patidar leader Hardik Patel claimed EVMs were rigged.

There has been tampering in EVMs in Surat,Rajkot and Ahmedabad, hence the gap is very less wherever tampering happened. EVMs are hackable: Hardik Patel pic.twitter.com/cPNaItPrbw

— ANI (@ANI) December 18, 2017

#BREAKING

When ATMs can be hacked, why can't EVMs be hacked, says Patidar leader Hardik Patel

Keep following our LIVE blog for more updates: https://t.co/MaFvrvFG9M#VerdictWithTimes#GujaratElection2017#GujaratVerdictpic.twitter.com/DJ7fKVBP9k

— Times of India (@timesofindia) December 18, 2017

A 40-year-old leader from the OBC (Other Backward Classes) community, Alpesh Thakor, won in Radhanpur constituency in Gujarat, beating his Bharatiya Janata Party rival by around 15,000 votes. Thakor joined the Congress just ahead of the election.

Thakor is the convenor of the OBC, ST and ST Ekta Manch, which he started last year. Radhanpur has been a BJP bastion since 1998, but on Monday, the OBC leader from Congress surged ahead with over 85,000 votes. His BJP rival, Lavingji Thakor, had joined BJP ahead of the election after being denied a Congress ticket.

The highest number of voters in the constituency belong to the Thakor community, closely followed by the Chaudhary group. Alpesh Thakor is the son of Congress leader Khodaji Thakore, who reportedly switched from BJP to Congress in the mid 1990s.

Alpesh Thakor has passionately campaigned against liquor addiction in Gujarat earlier, but turned to politics to help the farmer community.

Also On HuffPost:

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is set to form governments in both Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh, leading to further consolidation of the saffron party's fortunes in northern parts of the country, even as a resurgent Congress under the new leadership of President Rahul Gandhi put up a close fight but fell short.

At 5 PM, Election Commission data showed that the BJP comfortably edged past the halfway mark of 92 in the 182-seat state assembly and was projected to win 100 seats. It had won in 80 and was leading in 20 of the 154 seats for which results were known. The Congress, whose tally slipped in the course of the day, won 70 and was leading in 6 of the 77 seats it was projected to win.

This will be a record six-time win for BJP in Gujarat, a state it has ruled for two decades. Chief Minister and senior BJP leader Vijay Rupani was also set to win from Rajkot (West), a prestige seat special to the BJP for many reasons, the main being that Prime Minister Narendra Modi won his first election in February 2002 from the constituency which at that time was known as Rajkot–II.

Modi, who had campaigned extensively for Gujarat, handed the victory back to the people, saying it indicated "a strong support for politics of good governance and development."

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.

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) December 18, 2017

Though these elections saw the emergence of a more confident Rahul Gandhi, ready to take on Modi in the all-too-crucial 2019 general elections, the landslide wins of two youth leaders scripted history on Monday. They may perhaps have also changed the course of the conversation in the state in the days to come. Independent candidate Jignesh Mevani, and Congress's Alpesh Thakor won from Gujarat's Vadgam and Radhanpur constituencies.

Rise Of New Leaders

The youth leaders, faces of the state's oppressed communities, burst into the scene in the run-up to the elections to unitedly fight the Goliath-like saffron party, raising issues of communal polarisation, poverty and oppression.

ALSO READ: Dalit Leader Jignesh Mevani Wins By A Landslide

ALSO READ: 'Fascism Is Fascism. It Will Ruin Our Country'

ALSO READ: Alpesh Thakor Sweeps BJP Bastion Radhanpur

"I express my gratitude to the people of Vadgam for all their support. Now I will raise the voice of Gujarat's discriminated sections in the assembly," Mevani said. Gandhi conceded defeat in both states by congratulating party workers for fighting the elections with dignity.

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.

— Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) December 18, 2017

The celebrations at the BJP office in Gandhinagar were initially low-key as Congress was neck-and-neck an hour after counting began. However as the BJP tally improved — albeit a lower score than its last in the state — the mood picked up among party workers. Chants of "Modi, Modi" rent the air. The PM himself raised two fingers in a victory sign outside Parliament, reassuring workers that the party will pull through despite Congress's close fight.

In Himachal Pradesh, BJP wrested power out of the hands of Congress. BJP is projected to win 44 and Congress 21 seats in the 68-seat legislative assembly.

Acid Test

The assembly elections were being seen as a test for both Modi and Gandhi – the former for poorly-implemented economic measures that caused mass inconvenience, and the latter for coming into his own as a political leader who can not only take on the PM in 2019, but also rally around party workers dispirited after Congress's fall from electoral fortunes in recent times.

Both Modi and Gandhi have exchanged barbs while campaigning. While Gandhi had mocked the PM about implementation of the goods and services tax (GST), calling it the Gabbar Singh Tax, Modi insinuated, without presenting evidence, Pakistani interference in collusion with the Congress in the Gujarat elections.

With both Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh in its kitty, the BJP has cleared its toughest political hurdle, created by demonetisation, GST, and unkept promises, since it came to power at the Centre three years ago. The party, that has been on a winning streak and has already set the ball rolling for the three north eastern states that go to polls early next year, now controls nearly 70 per cent of India and continues to look invincible.

On the other hand, even in their defeat in Gujarat, the Congress and the Hardik Patel-Alpesh Thakor-Jignesh Mevani trio have also won the battle because they have almost overrun the defence of the Narendra Modi-Amit Shah machinery that was all about State power, money, communal polarisation, and even malevolence. It was not an election fought by the BJP, but by Modi who made it appear like a personal war in which he didn't mind breaking conventions of political decency.

More than 40 public meetings by the Prime Minister of the country, who even alleged that the Congress conspired with Pakistan to defeat his party, the presence of almost the entire central cabinet in the state, and the postponement of the winter session of the Parliament were extraordinary measures for a state election; still the Congress managed to wrest 19 precious seats and in many constituencies the fight was very close. Had they started earlier, and been more strategic, probably they could have taken the race down to the wire.

There will be significantly more opposition legislators, more resistance in the assembly, and unprecedentedly fearless voices such as that of Thakor and Mevani on the other side of the line.

Compared to its 115 seats in 2012 in a house of 182, what the BJP now has is just more than a simple majority and in a few seats that would keep it in power, the difference of vote-share is wafer-thin. Still, it's a win indeed and a continuation of undisrupted power for more than two decades. But the ride is not going to be as easy as before. There will be significantly more opposition legislators, more resistance in the assembly, and unprecedentedly fearless voices such as that of Thakor and Mevani on the other side of the line.

Arguably, Gujarat was BJP's biggest political vulnerability since Narendra Modi became the Prime minister for a number of reasons. The natural anti-incumbency built over five continuous terms, a series of remarkable resistance movements such as the Patidar and Dalit agitations, the Patel-Thakor-Mevani combo, the harmful impact of demonetisation and GST on the business and trading communities, and a resurgent Rahul Gandhi, formed a seemingly formidable wall against the BJP-juggernaut; still the party has been able to push forward.

There's no parallel for this record in Indian history except in West Bengal where the Communists ruled for seven consecutive terms before its eventual disappearance.

For the Congress, Gujarat offers hope not only because it has been able to win more seats than many pollsters predicted, but also because it saw Gandhi coming of age both as a capable leader and as a politician who can convene likeminded pressure groups. While leading the anti-BJP campaign from the front with enormous vigour and purpose, that too not in fits and starts that he has been notorious for, he also offered considerable space for Patel, Thakor and Mevani to push forward with their fearless politics.

Even when Mevani was unwilling to join hands with him, Rahul showed strategic political sagacity and chose to give up a seat where the Congress had a sitting MLA.

And the result? The BJP will now have to face a ferocious Mevani in the assembly, the man who minces no words in slamming the BJP as fascist party. It won't be surprising if Mevani emerges as a national leader who can consolidate the Dalit votes against the BJP. In no other recent election, Modi and Shah faced daring community leaders such as Patel, Thakor and Mevani.

Had the BJP lost Gujarat, it would have been a major setback because the state is the jewel in its crown. The party's development credo comes from the so called "Gujarat Model" and Modi had created an idea of sub-national pride that any attack against him or the party was dubbed as an attack on Gujarat and vice versa. Modi has been able to take this Gujarati, Hindu majoritarian consciousness even to the diaspora.

Probably, Gujarat may offer a model of caste consolidation to the rest of India against Hindu consolidation, something similar to the Dravidian politics of Tamil Nadu.

In fact, this is where the significance of the inroads made by the rivals lie. The foundation of the Gujarati pride, that appeared to be in oneness with the BJP or Modi, is not as secure as it had been before. The Hindu consolidation looks threatened by the caste interests of the Patidars and the Dalits, and the most vociferous leaders of the BJP such as Amit Shah and Yogi Adityanath are now accusing the rivals of caste polarisation. Probably, Gujarat may offer a model of caste consolidation to the rest of India against Hindu consolidation, something similar to the Dravidian politics of Tamil Nadu. More over, that the BJP's majority came from urban votes, offers something to work on.

Interestingly, the other state, Himachal Pradesh where the BJP won with a significant majority by defeating the incumbent Congress was completely eclipsed by Gujarat. That's the significance of this small state in Indian politics. As West Bengal chief minister Mamta Banerjee said, Gujarat "belled the cat for 2019".

The Congress and opposition parties in different parts of India are indeed tempted by the possibilities of a united opposition. Will it work in 2019? There are eight more assembly elections that are due before that.

(The opinions expressed in this post are the personal views of the author. They do not necessarily reflect the views of HuffPost India. Any omissions or errors are the author's and HuffPost India does not assume any liability or responsibility for them.)

GANDHINAGAR, Gujarat -- The evening before votes were to be counted for the 2017 Assembly election in Gujarat, five young men stopped by the Bharatiya Janata Party office in Gandhinagar, a pit stop on their way from Anand district to Ahmedabad for some sightseeing on Sunday.

When I asked them why they chose to check out a party office on a weekend, the five friends said they supported the BJP, but they loved Modi. A cry of indignation went up when I suggested that Modi had perhaps lost his magic touch – just a tad.

A 22-year-old engineering student said, "Everyone loves Modi like they did before. He has made us proud." His 25-year-old friend told me that his business had suffered due to the Good and Service Tax (GST) but he was willing to make the sacrifice. "Yes, the trader community is unhappy but they will see that it is good for the country in the long-run," he said. "BJP will win thanks to Modi."

On Monday, the BJP won Gujarat for the sixth time "thanks to Modi," whose persisting appeal and resilience have once again carried his party to victory.

The prime minister held 34 rallies in 15 days across the length and breadth of the state, campaigning on the triple track of development, fighting corruption and Hindutva. His masterstroke, however, was making the election personal. In rally after rally, the prime minister evoked Gujarati pride. In the narrative that Modi forged, he was the "son of the soil" and the people of Gujarat would not tolerate the forces that opposed him.

It left many Gujaratis feeling that not voting for the BJP would be their personal betrayal of Modi, the guy they had sent to Delhi.

By The Skin Of Its Teeth

By winning Himachal Pradesh and Gujarat today, the BJP has planted its saffron flag in 19 out of 29 states in the country. While there is no denying that the Hindu nationalist party is now more powerful than at any other time in its history, a closer look at the numbers shows just how close the BJP came to losing its bastion.

A loss in the PM's home state had the potential of altering the BJP's fortunes before the 2019 national election, but as it so happens, the party managed to win the 2017 Gujarat Assembly election by the skin of its teeth.

For the first time since it came to power in 1995, the BJP has won less than 100 seats in the state. The Hindu nationalist party won 99 out of 182 seats in the state legislature, falling way short of the 150-target set by party president Amit Shah.

The BJP won by seven seats more than the 92 seats required to get a majority, with as many as 16 seats having been won by a margin of 3000 votes or less. In the three constituencies of Godhra, Dholka and Botad, the Congress has lost by margins as low as 258, 327 and 906 respectively.

In Saurashtra-Kutch, the epicenter of the Patidar agitation, the BJP won 23 of 54 seats from the region, with the Congress taking 30. In 2012, the BJP had won 35 out of 54 seats in the region.

The Congress is also closing in on BJP's vote share in Gujarat.

The Congress increased its vote share by 2.5 percent from 38.9 percent in 2012 to 41.4 percent in 2017. The BJP, meanwhile, has increased its vote share by 1.2 percent from 47.9 percent in 2012 to 49.1 percent in 2017.

The difference between the vote shares of the two parties in 2017 is 7.7 percent as compared to nine percent in 2012.

It is also worth noting that five sitting ministers of the Gujarat government lost their seats to the Congress in the state election, including two cabinet ministers Atmaram Parmar and Chimanbhai Sapariya.

READ: Jignesh Mevani Interview: 'Fascism Is Fascism. It Will Ruin Our Country If We Stay Silent

Modi is not infallible

Modi, when he decided to run for the 2014 Lok Sabha election, changed the game, making electoral contests more personality driven. For the first time, Modi appears to be on the receiving end of the trend that he set.

In the past two years, other "sons of the soil", namely Hardik Patel of the Patidar community, Dalit leader Jignesh Mevani and Alpesh Thakor, the face of the Other Backward Classes (OBC), have emerged as personailities who can move people. Not only have they mobilized sections of their communities against BJP, the three youth leaders took Modi head-on, stripping away his larger-than-life image.

While Mevani and Thakor have both won from their respective constituencies, 24-year-old Patel was too young to contest the election. An oft-repeated sentiment here is that Patel actually running for the election would have made it even harder for the BJP to win.

Modi is still the undisputed leader of Gujarat, whose speeches can make or break elections. Only he can win the 2019 election for the BJP. But the emergence of the new set of leaders has busted the narrative of his infallibility, which is especially significant in a state where Modi is looked on with a kind of reverence.

Meanwhile, Congress President Rahul Gandhi has emerged from this bruising campaign as a matured avatar of his former self, who was widely ridiculed as "Pappu," a term which seems to be have been relegated to the past.

In fact, in addition to Modi himself, the BJP had to deploy its arsenal of popular leaders and powerful leaders, including Hindutva firebrand Yogi Adityanath, to counter the new and improved Gandhi and the three newbies. But not everyone has been impressed by the BJP's performance.

Last week, HuffPost Indiareported on one BJP loyalist who chose the Congress for the first time in the 26 years that he has voted.

Jitender Singh, a 44-year-old government school teacher from the Rajput community, told me that there was nothing which either Modi or the BJP had said and done which had moved him in the slightest. Singh voted for the Congress because the party in its manifesto promised to end the contract system in government jobs and make contract workers permanent.

With its veteran leaders taking a beating in this election and Modi's appeal showing at least early signs of wear and tear, the BJP might want to ask itself who and what comes next.

READ: Win, Lose Or Draw, Rahul Gandhi Has Emerged Stronger From Gujarat

Hindutva Game On

Eventually, the BJP played the Hindutva card not once but multiple times during the course of the campaign. There was nothing subtle about the polarizing remarks which reinforced the idea that voting against the BJP somehow makes one less patriotic and is a betrayal of all things Hindu.

In Uttar Pradesh, Modi had limited his communal remarks to a rally in Fatehpur where he said, "If there is electricity in the graveyard and during Ramzan, it must be available in a crematorium and during Delhi. There should be no discrimination."

In Gujarat, however, Modi was relentless and his remarks were seen to lower the the dignity of the prime minister's office. After he had compared Rahul Gandhi's elevation to the "Aurangzeb Raj," Modi claimed that Pakistan was interfering with the state polls.

Even Singh, the BJP loyalist who has always admired Modi, found it nonsensical. "Pata nahin kya keh rahen hain," he said. (I don't know what he is on about).

Also read: Congress Can Never Hijack Hindutva From The BJP, Says Gujarat's Deputy CM

In The Age Of Competitive Hindutva Politics, Young Muslims Want A Hardik Patel Of Their Own

'Muslim Vote? Does Muslim Life Even Matter In India,' Asks A Gujarati Doctor On Election Day

Also on HuffPost India:

After hopping from Sao Polo to London to Mumbai, all in a span of a week, Will Smith knows a thing or two about combatting jet lag.

At the cozy conference room of the St.Regis in Mumbai's downtown area, the Independence Day actor looks dapper, his face and demeanour revealing no hints of a tedious transatlantic journey, part of the press tour of his upcoming Netflix film.

"What I'll tell you about jet lag is -- don't fight it. Just sleep, even if it's in the middle of the day and you'll be fine," he says rubbing his face. "This glow, this is all thanks to fruits and berries," he says, laughing emphatically at his own Dad joke. "No, seriously, I got a good rest yesterday. That's the trick."

Smith is in Mumbai to attend the Indian premiere of Bright, a fantasy crime thriller, directed by David Ayer (Suicide Squad, End of Watch). The film is set in a futuristic era, where humans live along with creatures such as Orcs, Elves, and Brights. There is a mysterious Dark Lord ("it's not like we're hinting at Donald Trump or anything" Smith jokes), whose rise could lead to imminent disaster and whose resurrection, aided by the sinister Leilah (a woefully underused Noomi Rapace) must be prevented by Smith and his partner, Joel Edgerton's Nick Jackoby, an Orc.

Although largely comedic in its treatment, the film's racial undertones are fairly evident and it's fascinating to see a Black actor play a racist cop to Orcs, a marginalized race in the film's universe. To examine racism through the lens of the perpetuator and not victim, would've given Smith an insight he otherwise wouldn't have been familiar with.

"It was such an interesting flip," Smith tells the gathered journalists, pausing for a few seconds. "It gave me room to explore the idea from a different angle. It just familiarised me with the psychological perspective of superiority," Smith says.

"It also gave me a window into the constant struggle of comparative superiority. Everybody wants to feel better than somebody else. Even a fight against racism is laced with the individual need to feel superior to somebody else. Both sides want to win and it can only come at the cost of making someone feel inferior."

It's unlikely that a film as expensive ($90 million) and as R-Rated as Bright would have found a home in the legacy studios. Both director David Ayer and Smith have spoken about how it wouldn't be possible to make the film the way it has been made, with a traditional Hollywood studio.

Smith also acknowledges the role of technology in enabling racial inclusivity. However, he's gotten a bit weary of the way the term 'diversity' has been bastardized.

He thinks the very sound of the term feels like a threat to white male actors, who perhaps believe that having a 'diverse' cast would mean having acting jobs for everyone other than them.

"For the first time, I understood, the negative reaction to the word diversity. We say diversity as if we mean equality. Diversity means 'I'm gonna use this term for me to get higher than you.' When a white male actor hears the word diversity, he thinks it means, 'hire anybody but a white male.' It's almost threatening to them. It's only after playing this character, who is racist, did I realize the complicated struggle of racial superiority," he says.

"To me, the whole situation has been bizarre. I have a 17-year-old daughter who has grown up with men she trusts and she doesn't even comprehend the idea of predatory behavior."

Smith also speaks about the way technology has enabled in mobilizing social movements, including the recent #MeToo campaign, that revealed the magnitude of sexual abuse faced by women across sections.

In the post-Weinstein era, where a number of powerful men are losing jobs because of a history of sexual misconduct, how does he assess his role as one of the most successful actors in Hollywood? Was he aware of any of these transgressions? What is he doing to ensure a safe environment for women on the sets of his film? Smith shifts in his chair, before addressing the query.

"To me, the whole situation has been bizarre. I have a 17-year-old daughter who has grown up with men she trusts and she doesn't even comprehend the idea of predatory behavior."

He says he has been discussing the Weinstein scandal with his co-star Joel Edgerton and has been trying to process the magnitude of the situation.

"We have been talking about this for a while and I have been really thinking about it. And my reaction is -- I don't know these guys. As I am hearing some of the things people will do, I just go -- who would do such a thing? Who does that? Maybe I am naive. But to schedule a meeting with someone and when the person shows up, you are in a bathrobe? Man, who does that? Honestly, I don't know those guys. I have a lot of male friends but (none like these...) But I support the women who've spoken out."

Also see on HuffPost:

I am definitely in a situation where I feel totally neglected and deprived in a way that affects me more than the sexual stuff." A woman staff member at the Times, on career development