India, June 5 -- The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday continued its electoral dominance in Gujarat, winning 25 out of the 26 Lok Sabha seats in the western state, which is home to both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union home minister Amit Shah. However, the party's aim for a third successive clean sweep in the general elections took a hit after Congress's Geniben Nagarji Thakor emerged victorious in the Banaskantha parliamentary constituency.

Gujarat delivered the BJP its first victory in these elections much before the state went to polls on May 7, after party candidate Mukesh Dalal was elected unopposed in Surat. It came after all other eight contestants withdrew their nominations on April 24.

Having set an ambitious target...