सत्यमेव जयते — Ahmed Patel (@ahmedpatel) 1502223617000

BJP stands exposed of personal vendetta and political terror. People of Gujarat will give them a befitting reply in this year's election — Ahmed Patel (@ahmedpatel) 1502224359000

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AHMEDABAD/NEW DELHI: Ahmed Patel , Congress chief Sonia Gandhi ’s political secretary, won a bitterly-fought battle for a prestigious Rajya Sabha seat, defeating BJP in a high-stakes contest ahead of Gujarat polls scheduled later this year.The morale-boosting victory came after days of intense tussle between the two sides for each vote and on a day of dramatic developments which saw Election Commission rejecting the votes of two Congress MLAs who voted for BJP.Celebrations broke out in Ahmedabad once party managers declared that Patel had got 44 votes — just enough for him to save the battle from going into the second preference round where BJP would have had a clear advantage because of the sheer numbers it has in the electoral college.Patel took to Twitter and thanked all his supporters.Later at night, the returning officer announced the final numbers in the polls according to which Ahmed Patel secured 4400 votes, BJP's Amit Shah got 4600, Smriti Irani, too, got 4600, and Balwantsinh Rajput got 3800 votes.Going by Congress’s calculation, Patel could have pulled it off with the support of 43 party MLAs and Jayant Patel, one of the two NCP MLAs in the House. Congress’s claim of support from BJP rebel Nithinbhai Kathodia and lone JD(U) member Chhotubhai Vasava were disputed by BJP sources who did not rule out the possibility of NCP’s Patel going along with Congress. BJP’s determination to snatch a seat which Congress, ordinarily speaking, was set to win and Congress’s resolve to hold on to it turned it into perhaps the most suspenseful contest for a Rajya Sabha seat.The relief for Congress marks a setback for BJP, particularly party chief Amit Shah who scripted the audacious run on Congress’s vote bank, as well as for Congress rebel Shankersinh Vaghela who teamed up with the saffron party to put the contest on knife’s edge. It was Vaghela’s man Balwantsinh Rajput who was Patel’s challenger. Amit Shah and Union minister Smriti Irani scored easy victories.Coming after a string of setbacks — the collapse of Bihar’s ‘secular’ coalition being the most recent one — and the lengthening doubts about the party’s resilience, the victory will taste sweet for Congress.A defeat for ‘AP’, as the Congress leader is known, would have been a morale shattering blow for the party ahead of assembly elections in Gujarat where BJP is widely seen as the frontrunner.It would have been a personal loss for Sonia Gandhi for whom Patel has been the most trusted aide. In contrast, the narrow defeat should rankle BJP, considering that it raised the stakes high for itself in a battle which was for Congress to lose. It is the first setback for Shah who has been on a remarkable victory run, with a number of impressive wins in state polls under his belt. The rejection of two votes will train the spotlight on his “take-no-prisoners” style, with Congress already accusing BJP of playing foul, using money and political power to subvert democracy.Fortunes of the two parties fluctuated through the day. Congress had seemed confident till late afternoon, but optimism quickly gave way to pessimism because of fears of desertion and sabotage. The fear, however, turned out to be misplaced as Patel managed to secure 44 votes or just about enough to make it to Rajya Sabha for the fifth time on the strength of first preference votes.