amit Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Amit Shah on Friday said that his party will win more than 300 seats and Narendra Modi will be the next prime minister as he pitched for free and fair elections.
Addressing a press conference, Shah said that the Elections 2014 seems to be Modi Vs all the political parties. “It’s Modi versus all election, but people in UP have come out to support BJP irrespective of their castes, religion, age group and society, as they are suffering from a double incumbency — one against the UPA government at Centre and the other against the state government,” Shah said.
Shah, who is a close associate of Modi and BJP’s Uttar Pradesh in-charge, also sounded confident of BJP-led NDA returning to power by winning more than 300 Lok Sabha seats in the General Elections.
The BJP strategist asserted that his party doesn’t believe in political untouchability, and is open to have an alliance with any party.
Batting for the Gujarat Chief Minister, Shah stressed that Modi made a successful attempt to connect with people all over the nation.
At a time when the BJP is in loggerheads with the Election Commission, Shah said his party has no problem with deployment of paramilitary forces at polling booths in the holy city where Modi is pitted against AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal and Congress candidate Ajay Rai.
Shah further stressed that the Election Commission must ensure a free and fair elections. “I want to tell the Election Commission that they are putting paramilitary forces in Varanasi, but not in Azamgarh from where (Samajwadi Party chief) Mulayam Singh Yadav is contesting. We demand that paramilitary forces be deployed in all the 18 constituencies,” he said.
The BJP leader also took a jibe at the election authorities and the District Magistrate for refusing permission to Modi’s rally, while allowing others.
About Kejriwal’s roadshow today and two other roadshows planned for tomorrow — by Rahul Gandhi and Akhilesh Yadav, Shah said, “It is good that DM has allowed them to hold roadshows”.
The press conference comes a day after thousands of BJP activists protested here and in New Delhi against the poll panel’s initial curbs on rallies by Modi even as he got a warm welcome on his visit here with crowds thronging the routes he travelled.
Shah said that BJP’s campaign has slowly grown to become a “movement” whose main objective is to herald a change in this country.
Giving details of Modi’s public programmes so far, Shah said he has so far addressed 437 rallies and taken together with 3D events, roadshows and other programmes, Modi has participated in as many as 5,827 public programmes for these elections.
“Modi has travelled three lakh kilometres and visited 25 states to connect with the people,” Shah said, while adding that this was probably the biggest ever public reach programme undertaken by any leader ever since the first elections of India.
“In UP particularly, BJP is moving towards a historic win, although all three opponents — Congress, SP and BSP, appeared to be fighting together.
“SP did not fight elections from Amethi and Rae Bareli, Akhikesh Yadav has supported Robert Vadra, while Mayawati came out in support of Priyanka Gandhi,” Shah said.
