New Delhi, Dec 8 (PTI) Senior BJP leader and Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur on Thursday said he respects the people"s mandate in Himachal Pradesh, and the party will continue to work for the interest of the state.Thakur, who led a spirited campaign for the assembly elections in his home state, said he expects the new Congress government in Himachal Pradesh to remain committed to the development of the state."We fully respect the mandate given to the BJP in Himachal Pradesh. New dimensions of development were established in Himachal Pradesh under the leadership of Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur and we hope that the new Congress government will also be dedicated to the development of Himachal," he said."Whatever may be the result, we will always remain in the role of a servant in the service of the state with full solidarity as before and will stand for the interests of the state," he said.The Congress emerged victorious in the Himachal Pradesh Assembly elections, winning 40 seats in the 68-member House.On Gujarat polls, where the BJP returned to power for the seventh consecutive time with a record haul of 156 seats, the best ever performance by any political party since the formation of the state in 1960, he said it was a victory of the BJP"s development model."The grand victory of the Bharatiya Janata Party in Gujarat is the result of the infinite affection and blessings of the people of Gujarat towards the respected Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi ji," Thakur said."This victory is the victory of the people of Gujarat, the victory of the BJP"s development model, and the victory of the government for more than two decades of good governance," he said. Thakur said the victory was made possible due to the skilful leadership of the prime minister, the presidency of BJP chief J P Nadda, the public welfare policies of Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, the organisational acumen of state BJP President C R Paatil and the tireless hard work of party workers. PTI SKU SKU TIR TIR