Modi was apparently so confident of the victory in the by-polls that he did not even campaign for party nominees. He termed the defeat of Congress candidates in the two Lok Sabha seats as a "reflection of public anger" and an "ultimatum" for the Centre's ruling party ahead of the general elections due next year.

"The people of Gujarat have given a thumping victory to the BJP and Congress has fared miserably. BJP's emphatic victory and Congress's defeat in two Lok Sabha seats is in a way a message of public anger and an ultimatum to the Congress," he said in Delhi.