BJP most hopeful of doing well in Bengal: Shahnawaz

Kolkata: National spokesperson of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Shahnawaz Hussain said on Monday that the saffron outfit is most hopeful about its chances in West Bengal in the coming Lok Sabha elections as the party has formed an “alliance” with the people of the state to free them from the misrule of the Trinamool Congress.

Stating that the BJP has infinite prospects in the country’s eastern states such as Assam, Odisha and West Bengal in the general elections, Hussain said the party has a firm focus on Bengal to win as many seats as possible.

“People of Bengal have decided to go with Narendra Modi and the BJP this time. The BJP and its alliance parties are set to win over 400 seats in the coming elections. But we are most hopeful about West Bengal. We will surprise the entire nation with our results here,” Hussain told reporters at the party’s state headquarters here.

“BJP has massive prospects in the eastern states. We are going to win large number of seats in states such as Assam, West Bengal, Odisha as well as the Northeast. In other states we have allied with different parties, but in Bengal we have formed alliance with the people. We want to free them from the misrule of Trinamool Congress.

“It is not just an election but a battle to free the people from the misrule of Trinamool Congress. We have focused in Bengal and will try to win as many seats as possible from here,” the BJP leader said.

Taking a swipe at Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for attending her Andhra Pradesh counterpart N. Chandrababu Naidu’s rally in Visakhapatnam on Sunday, Hussain said like Rahul Gandhi’s decision to fight from Kerala’s Wayanad, Banerjee is also looking for alternatives as she knows that her defeat in Bengal is confirmed.

“Modi ji is coming to Bengal while Didi (Banerjee) is going to Andhra Pradesh. The way Rahul Gandhi left Amethi for Wayanad, similarly the Trinamool Congress leader also knows that she will not have her way in Bengal. This shows Trinamool has accepted defeat beforehand,” he claimed.

The leader said his party has “full faith” that the Election Commission will hold free and fair elections in the state this time and successfully stop the Trinamool Congress from rigging votes.

“We know that the rule of law does not exist in Bengal. Every major event, including the panchayat elections, is being held after moving the court. But the Lok Sabha polls would be free and fair.

“No one will be allowed to rig the votes this time. We have full confidence in the Election Commission. The people of Bengal also know that Trinamool’s attempt to loot the polling booths will be foiled this time,” he said.

He added that people across all communities in Bengal are united to re-elect Modi as the Prime Minister.

Flaying Banerjee for criticising Modi, Hussain said the Trinamool Congress supremo or her party has not yet reached the stature to debate with the Prime Minister.

“Didi (Banerjee), your party is a small party. You should first take your party to a stature so that you become eligible to indulge in a debate with Narendra Modi. Our state President Dilip Ghosh is enough to debate with Mamata Di,” he added.

[source_without_link]IANS[/source_without_link]