The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will open its account in both Kerala and Tamil Nadu, Union Home Minister Amit Shah asserted in an exclusive interview with Network18, saying the party would be ahead of Congress in all four states combined in the South.
“In South, all four states combined, we will be ahead of Congress. We have fought a very good election and will definitely open our account in Kerala and Tamil Nadu. But estimating the seats there is a problem because there are very close fights,” Shah said in response to a question by Network18 Group Editor-in-Chief Rahul Joshi.
The home minister, when asked about Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, said the BJP had an alliance in Andhra. “We are fighting a very good election. It is just the beginning,” he said. On Telangana, Shah said: “We should perform very well in the Lok Sabha polls in Telangana. We could win our highest seats so far from there.”
The BJP has been focusing on the South for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi holding several rallies in the states.
In an interview with Kerala-based Mathrubhumi newspaper recently, the prime minister countered views that the BJP lacks a presence in the South, saying, “This narrative suits the perspective of a few political analysts, but the facts tell a different story.” When asked if South India was a difficult terrain in the last election, he replied, “Your question is not factually correct. In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP was the single largest party in Southern India.”
“You may also know that three of our party presidents have come from South India. In 1984, when we were reduced to only two seats, one of them was from Southern India. Thus, the BJP has a very close link with the South. Looking at the present, I have been traveling across Southern India, and the response wherever I have gone has been phenomenal. I am confident that South India will bless the BJP in record numbers this time,” PM Modi added.
Even before the schedule was announced by the Election Commission of India, PM Modi had chosen the southern states to launch his campaign for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections on March 15.
“The road to power in Delhi may go through Uttar Pradesh, but the road this time to ‘NDA 400 Paar’ will go through South India. We aim to win 50-60 seats for the NDA in the five southern states this time. It is this that will propel the NDA beyond 400 seats,” a senior BJP leader and Union Minister had told News18, explaining the Prime Minister’s campaign push in South India.
Watch Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s full interview on CNN-News18 at 9pm.
Check Lok Sabha Election 2024 Phase 3 Schedule, Key Candidates And Constituencies At News18 Website.
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