UP elections: BJP will be successful in getting more than 300 seats, says Shahnawaz

Asserting that the SP-Congress alliance cannot stop BJP in poll-bound Uttar Pradesh, former union minister Syed Shahnawaz Hussain on Saturday claimed that the party would form government in the state with a thumping majority of over 300 seats.

The senior BJP leader claimed that the party would also form governments after the ongoing Assembly elections in Goa, Punjab, Uttarakhand and Manipur.

“Prime Minister Narendra Modi today addressed a huge election rally at Meerut in UP. There was tremendous enthusiasm among the people at the rally... BJP will form its government in UP with thumping majority... We will win over 300 seats in the Assembly polls,” Hussain said, adding the party is fighting election on “development and good governance”.

Opposition parties might not be able to touch the three digit seat mark while the Congress will be able to win seats in single digit, irrespective of any alliance it has, he claimed.

Stating that Uttar Pradesh has become the “crime capital” of the country because of the number of crimes that take place on a daily basis, Hussain claimed the SP-Congress alliance cannot stop the BJP in UP.

People of the state cannot forget the “misrule and failures” of the Akhilesh Yadav government, he said, adding even its ally, Congress, had also raised question on his government through slogan “27 saal bura haal.”

A state with a population size of 21 crore cannot be satisfied with one metro line or one road (Agra-Lucknow Expressway), rather the Chief Minister needs to take care of each and every district, the former Union minister said.

Replying to a query, Hussain dismissed any speculation of Nitish Kumar’s party coming together with BJP again.

“We have supported each other on good work like Nitish Kumar supported demonetisation and we supported prohibition.  PM Modi believes in Team India and Nitish Kumar, being the CM of a prestigious state, is also the part of Team India... But so far as alliance is concerned, there is neither any discussion on it nor do I have any information in this regard.  He (Kumar) is working on his party’s agenda,” Hussain said.

Both (RJD chief) Lalu Prasad and Nitish Kumar have got “rest” in the UP polls as both parties do not have any stake there, he said, adding “they would have fought elections, had they been in a position to contest.”

Hussain announced that the party would organise a sit-in at all district headquarters in Bihar on February 6 against the state government’s failure in paddy procurement.