LS polls: BJP to make big gains in east & south India, says Amit Shah ahead of final phase

New Delhi, May 29: Union Home Minister Amit Shah, in an exclusive interview with Sanjay Pugalia, CEO and Editor-in-chief, AMG Media Network, on Wednesday shed light on how the BJP was moving closer to its '400 paar' mission and which states will contribute majorly in achieving this target.

Amit Shah said that the party was slated for big gains in east and south India, traditionally its 'weaker' areas, besides recording thumping victory in its stronghold regions of north and west.

The Home Minister said that the party is expecting big gains in eastern states including Odisha and West Bengal, and Andhra Pradesh and Telangana in the south.

Breaking it down into numbers, he said that the party was expecting a much bigger victory in West Bengal, as compared to 2019 by fetching 24-30 out of a total of 42 seats.

"In Odisha, our target is to bag 17 (out of 21 LS seats) and 75 (out of 147 Assembly seats). In Telangana, we will win around 10 seats (out of 17 LS seats). In Andhra Pradesh, the BJP-led alliance will form the government, and we will also win a big chunk of Lok Sabha seats there too," Amit Shah told NDTV in an exclusive interaction.

He also said that the party will emerge as the single largest in at least four Eastern states.

"In the eastern zone, Bengal, Jharkhand, Bihar, Odisha, we will emerge as the biggest party. This is certain. And in the five states of South, Karnataka, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and Tamil Nadu, we will make significant gains," he added.

Notably, Odisha and Andhra Pradesh are also voting to elect their Assemblies. In Odisha, CM Naveen Patnaik-led government is seeking a fresh term while in Andhra Pradesh, the BJP-TDP alliance is eyeing to oust the ruling YSR Congress.

Amit Shah's big poll prediction ahead of the seventh and final phase of polls has given fresh vigour to the election mood.

In the seventh phase, a total of 57 Lok Sabha seats are going to polls with 26 seats spread across eastern states of Odisha, Bengal, Bihar and Jharkhand.

On questions of whether "Ab ki baar 400 par" was a poll slogan or target based on facts, he replied: "When we won the 2014 elections on the slogan of absolute majority, many Delhi-based analysts said this was not possible. But we got the absolute majority. Then, in 2019, when we gave the slogan of 300 plus, people said it was not possible. People are saying the same this time."