The “Modi wave” across Maharashtra will increase BJP’s votes by 12 to 14 per cent and help the saffron party-led alliance to secure 35-36 seats in the Lok Sabha elections, a senior state BJP leader has said.
“The BJP-led alliance is doing extremely well in all parts of Maharashtra and it will raise its tally of 21 (12 BJP, 9 Sena) of 2009 to 35-36 seats (out of 48 seats) in May,” said Leader of Opposition in the state Legislative Council Vinod Tawde.
Tawde said he has been touring the state and has gathered an impression that the BJP-led alliance is on the “verge of ending on a winning note.” Barring Milind Deora (the sitting MP and Congress candidate from Mumbai South seat), all alliance constituencies are on a winning track, he claimed. Acknowledging that NCP leader Chhagan Bhujbal is posing threat to the BJP-alliance candidate in Nashik, he said a clear picture of Pune seat will emerge in a day or two. Dismissing any threat from the Aam Aadmi Party, Tawde said it no longer looks like a common man’s party.
Mayank Gandhi (AAP leader) in Mumbai is a builder and Anjali Damania is from a share broker’s family having assets worth crores of rupees, he said. “Are they Aam Aadmi?” he mockingly asked, saying that the only face in AAP was its chief Arvind Kejriwal, but his Mumbai visit exposed his “indisciplined style”.
“The way his rally was taken out, his ride in train and auto rickshaw. People of Mumbai were disturbed by his visit”, the BJP leader said.
When asked about high profile leaders in Vidarbha like Nitin Gadkari of BJP in Nagpur and Praful Patel of NCP in Bhandara-Gondia constituency, Tawde said Gadkari’s candidature has been well taken by people.
“He (Gadkari) is going to win by one lakh votes,” he claimed.
Admitting that Congress president Sonia Gandhi’s meeting with Delhi’s Shahi Imam has helped tilting of votes in favour of Congress, he said, however, Gadkari is above caste and religion politics.
Dismissing rumours of an alleged secret understanding between Nana Patole of BJP and Praful Patel, he said, “This time it is ‘Bhai’ (Patel) versus ‘Bhau’ (Patole).”
Patole is a fighter and everyone knows politics of Patel, he said alleging that the latter is attempting to cash in on Modi’s popularity and misleading the voters.
He was referring to a book showcasing the work done by Patel which carried his photograph with Modi at a function.
