Note-ban had no impact, says BJP chief; happy about good show in Amethi, Rae Bareli

Demonetisation had no adverse impact in this year's Assembly elections, BJP chief Amit Shah said here today, in more than joyous mood, when he said the saffron party's performance was particularly laudable in Amethi and Rae Bareli, the two known strongholds  of Congress party. 

"Of 10 seats in Rae Bareli and Amethi, we are winning six seats by big margins and this is making us very happy. From now on, politics will take a new direction in UP," Mr Shah told reporters. Congress President Sonia Gandhi is the elected MP from Rae Bareli, while Amethi is represented by her son Rahul Gandhi.

The BJP President said the impact of BJP's performance in these elections will be seen in other states also and there is "new era" for UP since independence - where henceforth, politics will be devoid of caste, creed and religious identities, there would not be appeasement either. "It is now proven that since Independence, Modiji is the most popular Prime Minister of this country...poor of the country love him," Mr Shah said. 
"In fact, the mandate proves that the masses and poor of India are on the side of demonetisation. Akhilesh Yadav and Rahul Gandhi thoroughly criticised the note ban at every rally," Mr Shah said.  ''We also raised it and it has been proved that people stand together with the Prime Minister on demonetisation,'' he added.

UP's biggest loser Mayawati greatest gainer in vote share since 2014


Despite having faced a crushing defeat the BSP of Ms Mayawati is ironically the only party in UP which has increased its number of votes and vote share in percentage terms since 2014 Lok Sabha elections with all other players including the BJP losing their votes tally.  
         The votes polled in favour of elephant increased to 22.2 pc, which is 2.43 pc more what it got in the last general elections of 2014. The party also added more votes to its kitty since then as in the assembly elections it polled 19,108,397, a jump of over three lakh 20 thousand votes.
        All other major players, including the BJP, lost votes in percentages and in the numbers while adding more seats.
        Though' the BJP managed to keep its vote share of 42 percent completely intact what it polled in the general elections of 2014 riding on the Modi wave in the state, which even mathematically translates into its victory in more than 300 seats.

         The Saffron party lost only 4 lack 22 thousand and seven votes from its vote share of 34318854 which it polled in the last Lok Sabh elections.

Omar Abdullah calls for building up a 'pan-India leader' who can take on Modi

A key Opposition leader and known votary of anti-Narendra Modi politics, Omar Abdullah today sought to caution about the impending political challenge, saying there was hardly any leader "with a pan India acceptability who can take on Modi".
The National Conference leader and the former Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir in a series of tweets, said, "In a nutshell there is no leader today with a pan India acceptability who can take on Modi & the BJP in 2019".


Mr Abdullah, who was part of the NDA-1 under Atal Bihari Vajpayee and had walked out of the coalition after the Gujarat riots of 2002, also said that criticising  the PM will not take the Opposition very far, nor fetch in electoral dividends. 
The comment could be seen as a veiled attack on top Opposition leaders, including from the Congress, Left and the regional parties, who notwithstanding pursuing anti-BJP politics, have so far failed to create a common platform to fight the saffron party, which particularly is in a resurgent mode electorally, since 2014. 


Reacting to the winning spree of BJP led by Mr Modi, Mr Abdullah said, "At this rate we might as well forget 2019 & start planning/hoping for 2024".
He also said, "I've said this before & I'll say it again the voter needs to be given an alternative agenda that is based on what we will do better. Criticising the PM will only take us so far. The voter needs to know there is an option available to them that has a clear +ve road map".

Congress lapses led to shift of support base of poor to BJP: :

FM Jaitley

New Delhi, Mar 11 (UNI) Finance Minister Arun Jaitley today said  the opposition Congress went totally erratic about its stance on demonetisation and claimed that by its lapses in both "tactic and policy", the Congress party shifted its vote share among the poor and 'nationalistic constituency' to the BJP.

"I think the opposition parties especially the Congress has lot to introspect. Its in both in tactic and in policy. Demonetisation was politically a popular decision and Congress party should have supported it," Mr Jaitley told Doordarshan News.
He said the mandate has only "emboldened" the saffron party further.
To a question, he said as a policy the demonetisation decision should have been "debated" in Parliament, but the opposition parties chose to create disruption.
Such strategies did not go well with the people, he said.
At the same time, Finance Minister said Congress leaders more often endorsing "highly controversial" slogans raised in universities actually allowed the shift in support base and helped BJP emerge as the "sole defender of the nationalistic constituency".

Polls show end of appeasement, caste politics; BJP to form Govt in 4 states: Shah

"These results also mark the end of dynastic politics, caste politics and the politics of appeasement," he said.
"This is a historic victory in more ways than one," he said, adding that probably since Independence, the voters in UP and Uttarakhand put together have given a most decisive mandate.
"After Independence, this is one of the most popular mandates collectively by the voters in the states of UP and Uttarakhand," he said.
Both the states before their split and after have been long suffering poor governance for long, Mr Shah said.
He asserted that the mandate in UP and Uttarakhand and significant increase in BJP's vote share in northeastern state of Manipur meant a clear endorsement of Prime Minister's developmental agenda.
"The mandate this year has proved that the electorate of UP and other states have moved beyond the regimentation of caste, creed and religion. Voters are just voters and they have shown that they want to be with a government that performs," Mr Shah said.

ENDS