BJP general secretary Rajnath Singh has praised Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi [Images] for leading the party to a spectacular win in the Assembly election.

The party president made a brief appearance at the party headquarters in New Delhi at 11 am to express his gratitude to the people of Gujarat for supporting the party under Modi's leadership.

Rajnath was greeted by supporters who were seen bursting fire crackers and dancing to drum beats.

"For giving us a spectacular win, I express my gratitude to the people of Gujarat. At the same time, I compliment the workers of Gujarat unit who worked relentlessly to ensure victory of the party," Rajnath said.

He did not forget to mention that development was one of the key issues for party victory and this is the fourth time the BJP has won since 1990.

"The victory that we have achieved is due to BJP's thinking and the leadership of Narendrabhai Modi, particularly the development work carried out under his watchful eye," he said.

He claimed that the victory has sent a message to the people of India that if any party can do development in the country, it is the  BJP.

"On December 28, we would win elections in Himachal Pradesh. I am sure that in the ensuing Lok Sabha elections, the NDA would form government at the Centre under the leadership of L K Advani," he said.

Terming the election results in Gujarat a slap in the face of the Congress, BJP leader M Venkaiah Naidu exuded confidence that the poll victory would help the party to "march towards Parliament and attain victory under the leadership of L K Advani".

Congratulating Modi on the victory, he said the people of Gujarat had accepted Modi's leadership and his developmental agenda. "It is not an ordinary matter to retain power for the third time. It is a big victory for the BJP and an indicator of how things are going to shape up in future. I am sure, the BJP will now march forward to Delhi," he said.

Anotehr senior Arun Jaitley said Modi has secured a "respectful mandate" and that it is a rare election where a party has won on the plank of "good governance and development".

Jaitley, who is BJP's in-charge of Gujarat, said BJP's victory can be attributed to Modi's "immense credibility".

"Modi provided the necessary edge to BJP's campaign," he said. Jaitley said the BJP was inherently strong in Gujarat and had a sound organisational base in the state.

Jaitley also took a dig at the media.

"The media misled the nation by planting stories. The readers should ask journalists and editors an answer to this ticklish issue," he argued.

Jaitley and M Venkaiah Naidu will reach Ahmedabad on Monday. A meeting of the newly elected MLAs is expected to formally elect Modi as the leader of the party. The parliamentary board meeting is expected to be held at a meeting on Sunday evening.