NEW DELHI: When votes get counted on Thursday for Assembly polls in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh, the ruling BJP will be hoping to set a few new records.
Victory in Gujarat will make it the single party other than the Communist Party of India (Marxist) to have won 7 consecutive Assembly elections. The CPI(M), which ruled West Bengal for 34 years from 1977 to 2011, had also won 7 consecutive elections.
On the other side, no party has won a back-to-back election in Himachal Pradesh after 1985. If the BJP manages to retain power in the hill state, that would be another record.
The BJP's biggest wish is for the exit polls' forecasts to come true, which is for it to perform at its best-ever level in Gujarat while maintaining power in Himachal Pradesh.
In Gujarat, the party had its greatest year in 2002 when it won 127 seats in the Assembly's 182 members. This time, projections made by exit polls range from 117 to 151 seats going to the BJP.
The BJP would have beaten its own record from 2002 if the outcomes match the median value of these projections.
Gujrat, Himachal Polls : Congress keeps fingers crossed, BJP hopes to set new records
Counting of votes for Himachal Assembly begins
Himachal Pradesh result live updates