East Midnapore (West Bengal) Aug 9 (IANS) West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday termed Congress leader Ahmed Patel s victory in the Rajya Sabha election from Gujarat as the triumph of democracy over autocracy.
"Everybody has seen what happened in Gujarat yesterday (Tuesday). It was a fight between democracy and autocracy throughout the night and we are happy that democracy has come out victorious in the end " Banerjee said here at a public meeting where she officially flagged off the "BJP quit India" movement of the Trinamool Congress.
Banerjee said such a result achieved by the Congress in Gujarat was the biggest example of people s tolerance and strength of democracy in the country.
"This is the biggest example of tolerance in this country. It is the biggest strength of India " she said.
Ahmed Patel dealt a severe blow to the BJP by winning the Rajya Sabha election in Gujarat in a cliffhanger contest in which the top Bharatiya Janata Party leadership staked its all by backing Congress defector Balwantsinh Rajput.
Patel got 44 votes just enough to beat Rajput and earn a fifth term in the Rajya Sabha. The result was delayed by over nine hours because of the Congress challenge in the Election Commission first and the BJP s objections before the returning officer past midnight.
--IANS
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