Real winner in Gujarat is Congress: Chidambaram

New Delhi  :  The BJP may form a government in Gujarat but “the real winner” in the state is the Congress, Finance Minister P. Chidambaram said Thursday.

As the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) headed towards a victory in the 182-member Gujarat assembly, Chidambaram underlined that the BJP’s appeal had shrunk in the state.

“It is true that the BJP has won in the sense that it will form the government,” he told the media here.

“But the real winner is the Congress, which (is set to win) more seats than in 2007. It is the Congress message that has attracted more voters.”

In contrast, he said, the number of seats which would be won by the BJP with votes still being counted would be around 117 — the same number it got five years ago.

“It is the BJP base that has shrunk, even if it has shrunk only a little,” he said.