Sanjay Singh thanked the people of Gujarat for enabling the AAP to become a "national party". (File)
After the latest trends showed the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leading on six seats in the Gujarat Assembly polls, Sanjay Singh on Thursday said that the party has penetrated into the "bastion of the BJP" and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
He also thanked the people of Gujarat for enabling the Arvind Kejriwal-led outfit to become a "national party".
Calling Gujarat a "lab" of the BJP, Singh said that the AAP has "penetrated" the fort.
"The people of Gujarat have made AAP a national party. We will get nearly 15 per cent vote share in this election. Gujarat is the bastion of PM Modi and Amit Shah. Gujarat is a lab of the BJP. The BJP has been in power in Gujarat for 27 years and intruding that fort was not an easy job. AAP has penetrated into the bastion of the BJP," Singh said while speaking to the media here accepting defeat in the Gujarat Assembly polls.
All the top leaders of the AAP had exerted efforts in Gujarat after the party won Punjab with a huge majority, however, as per the latest trends by the Election Commission, it has managed to lead on 6 seats.
On the other hand, the ruling BJP is all set to retain power in the state as the trends showed the party leading on 149 seats with 1 win.
The BJP, if it manages to win 150 seats in the state, will not only thrash its own record of winning the highest ever by the party in the 2002 Assembly elections with 127 seats but also break the record of 149 seats which Congress' Madhav Singh Solanki government managed to create in 1985.
The exit polls had suggested that the BJP will come to power for the seventh time in the state with a thumping majority.
The counting of votes for the Gujarat Assembly elections began on Thursday at 8 am.
The counting in Gujarat began at 37 centres in 33 districts.
Gujarat Chief Electoral Officer P Bharathi said that 182 counting observers, 182 election officers and 494 assistant election officers are on duty for the counting process. There will be an additional 78 Assistant Election Officers for the counting of votes. In addition, 71 additional Assistant Election Officers have been assigned responsibility for the electronically transmitted postal ballot system in the previous polls
Assembly elections in Gujarat were held in two phases on December 1 and 5 respectively.
The approximate voter turnout in Gujarat by the end of the second phase of the Gujarat elections was recorded at 59.11 per cent.
During the first phase of polling on December 1, Gujarat saw an overall turnout of 63.14 per cent. While polling for 68 assembly seats in Himachal Pradesh was held on November 12.
Meanwhile, the exit polls have indicated a clear win for the incumbent Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Gujarat.
BJP has been in power in Gujarat for 27 years with Prime Minister Narendra Modi remaining in the Chief Minister's post for the longest time before becoming the Prime Minister. Congress gave a tough fight to the ruling BJP in the last assembly elections in 2017. However, AAP may spoil the game for Congress by taking away a significant vote share in their favour.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)