New Delhi, May 23 There may be little gainsay in pointing out that the BJP undercurrent was visible across India but it goes without saying that the credit to exploit the same ought to be given to the teamwork of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and party president Amit Shah.
The camaraderie between the two goes back to politics of Gujarat and both of them have delivered success to the party in Gujarat prior to 2014 and later, across India in many states.
Both of them were also successful in tapping the weaknesses in the Opposition campaign strategies and it is their visionary long-term planning that the duo has successfully taken the fight to enemy fiefdom even in constituencies like Amethi and state level bastions like West Bengal.
His admirers say that Prime Minister Modi has always challenged the concept of status-quo, a feature hailed in Indian politics and in more ways than one, Mr Shah has complemented Mr Modi's endeavor.
Speaking politically, besides winning 2014, both the leaders have guided the party to consolidate its hold in at least 19 states including in Jammu and Kashmir and North east.
''The way I am working is my USP. I don't think till date there is anything wrong in that,'' Mr Modi had said in 2013 and this theme continues to guide his political roadmap.
It was not without good reason that the magazine 'The Economist' in 2011 had hailed Prime Minister's method of delivery, saying - ''so many things work properly in Gujarat that it hardly feels like India''.BJP leaders and Modi admirers seems to have endorsed his performance punctuated with some out-of-box experiments like demonetisation and triple talaq.
Those who have followed the politics of Modi-Shah duo in terms of electoral management, also appreciate the manner they have pursued a mixed policy towards Muslims and took hardliner stand on Pakistan.Mr Modi and Mr Shah also shared the same sense of purposefulness against Congress and the dynasty.Old-timers in Gujarat say in the late 1980s and 90s , the duo first challenged the Congress hold in rural Gujarat and also in the powerful sports bodies, specially in Cricket.
The Modi-Shah duo also systematically worked to wrest power in cooperative bodies in Gujarat and once, both shifted to national politics, both the leaders tirelessly slogged for hours to work with all sorts of social groups and politicians to corner Congress and other regional satraps.
Those who know both the leaders and their style of functioning, say when it came to handling Lalu Prasad -- they also gave up personal ego and readily worked with Nitish Kumar and even gave him equal number of seats in Bihar.
At the same time, when it came to handling the powerful Mamata Banerjee in West Bengal, the party strategists worked overtime in strong coordination with RSS wings and even did not mind embracing Mamata's trusted aides including Mukul Roy into the party-fold.
BJP storms into Mamata bastion, leads in 17 seats
New Delhi, May 23 (UNI) In what is seen as a major game-changer in Indian politics, the BJP on Thursday marched ahead in as many as 17 parliamentary seats in West Bengal where it emerged as a key opponent of Mamata Banerjee led Trinamool Congress.
The saffron party established comfortable leads in Asansol and Darjeeling -- the two seats it won in 2014 and also 15 others while Ms Banerjee 's charisma could help her party in 24 out of the total 42 seats.
In Baharampur, the sitting Congress MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury was leading against Trinamool rival.
The BJP nominees were ahead in Bardhaman-Durgapur, Bankura, Bishnupur and Bangaon among others while Trinamool Congress seemed to have retained its hold in Barrackpore and other traditional seats.
In Jangipur, former president Pranab Mukherjee's son Abhijit Mukherjee of the Congress was trailing at number three.
The fierce contest between BJP and Trinamool Congress resulted in decimation of Communists, who ruled the state for 34 years between 1977 and 2011. The elections in Bengal saw Ms Banerjee and Prime Minister Narendra Modi trading charges over issues like communalism, lawlessness and minority appeasement.
The polls this year in the state would also be remembered for a series of group clashes and poll related violence including stone throwing on candidates.
In Asansol, Union Minister Babul Supriyo was ahead of Moon Moon sen while another Union Minister S S Ahluwalia established a lead of one lakh over sitting Trinamool candidate Mamata Sanghamita.
The possible winners in the state would also include names of Saumitra Khan from Bishnupur, John Barla from Alipurduars, Shantanu Thakur in Bangaon, Subhas Sarkar in Bankura, Arjun Singh in Barrackpore and Raju Bista from Darjeeling.
Among the Trinamool candidates, Abhishek Banerjee (Chief Minister's nephew), Saugata Roy, Satabdi Roy, actress Nusrat Jahan Ruhi, Deepak Adhikari, Prasun Banerjee, Sudip Bandyopadhyay and Mimi Chakraborty established comfortable leads.
Advani congratulates Modi for steering BJP towards 'unprecedented victory
New Delhi, May 23 (UNI) BJP veteran L K Advani on Thursday congratulated his one-time lieutenant and Prime Minister Narendra Modi for steering the saffron party towards 'unprecedented victory' in the elections.
''Heartiest congratulations to Shri Narendrabhai Modi for steering the BJP towards this unprecedented victory in the elections,'' he said in a brief statement and said BJP chief Amit Shah and all
''dedicated workers of the party have put in enormous effort in making sure that the message of BJP reaches every voter of the country''.
Mr Advani, who was denied ticket for Gandhinagar Lok Sabha constituency, said it is such a wonderful feeling that in a country as large and diverse as India, the electoral process has been so successfully completed and for that, ''my compliments to the electorate and all the agencies involved''.
''May our great nation be blessed with a bright future ahead,'' he said.
BJP strikes back in 3 states it lost in assembly polls
New Delhi, May 23 (UNI) The three Hindi heartland states which witnessed emphatic victory for the Congress in assembly polls just a few months back, saw a massive U-turn with BJP sweeping Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh in general elections.
Congress party, which campaigned aggressively playing up the new welfare scheme 'Nyay' card, had to finally remain content with much reduced Lok Sabha tally from these states as compared to its performance in 2014.In Rajasthan, Congress had lost of the 25 seats in 2014 but had come to power in December polls.
However, the grand old party could not retain its hold in the desert state as the results were declared on Thursday.
In this year's polls, BJP that had won all 25 seats in 2014, had to concede Nagaur seat to Rashtriya Loktantrik Party. Interestingly, Congress was at number two, according to latest trends.
In Madhya Pradesh, Congress had won three seats in 2014 as against 26 seats of the BJP; in this year's polls, the Congress tally came down to one while the saffron party snatched two more seats from the opposition camp.
Congress nominee and former union minister Jyotiraditya Scindia was trailing in Guna. Compared to 2014 performance, in Chhattisgarh, BJP was heading in nine seats this time and Congress only two. BJP has also retained its hold in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's native state Gujarat where it is heading for a clean sweep of 26 seats -- same as in 2014.
End of the road for PM aspirants; Naidu gets shocker
New Delhi, May 23 (UNI) Most of the prime minister aspirants from the opposition camp, including the likes of N Chandrababu Naidu and BSP chief Mayawati, suffered major setback in the 2019 polls as strong pro-incumbency wave helped BJP to storm back to power in the Centre.
In Andhra Pradesh, the TDP regime headed for a rout with Jagan Mohan Reddy-led YSR Congress leading in as many as 24 out of 25 seats while TDP managed to pick up only one seat.
In Uttar Pradesh, Mayawati-led BSP was ahead in only 11 seats while its partners Samajwadi Party and RLD were ahead in eight and two seats respectively.
In contrast, the BJP, which won 71 seats in 2014, was comfortable in 57 seats giving a big setback to opposition camp. The Congress which could not finalise an alliance with the BSP-SP-RLD combine was leading only in one seat.
Congress president Rahul Gandhi was trailing in Amethi by a margin of 4,674 votes against Union Minister and BJP candidate Smriti Irani.
Another regional outfit and its maverick leader Mamata Banerjee, who also harboured high ambitions vis-à-vis the corridors of power in Delhi, could not put up an impressive show with BJP set to win at least 17 seats.
In Bihar, RJD of Lalu Prasad Yadav was heading in only two constituency with NDA constituents BJP and JD(U) likely to win 16 seats each and LJP of Ram Vilas Paswan appeared comfortable in all six seats it contested.
The opposition alliance also seemed to be heading for a big setback in Patna Sahib with Congress candidate Shatrughan Sinha trailing behind Ravi Shankar Prasad of BJP by margin of 76,404 votes.
Misha Bharti, Lalu Prasad’s daughter, however, established early leads in Patliputra constituency.
In Telangana, K Chandrasekhar Rao-led TRS though put up an impressive show but in the wake of BJP’s convincing victory at the national level will have to give up its national ambition for the time being.
In Maharshtra, NCP led by Maratha strongman Sharad Pawar also had to face the brunt of electorate as it can possibly win in only three constituencies. Mr Pawar had taken several initiatives to unite the opposition parties to build up a formidable alliance against the BJP.
In Delhi, AAP also suffered major setback.
Sadhvi establishes early lead, Rahul trails in Amethi
New Delhi, May 23 (UNI) Notwithstanding controversy over her comments on Nathuram Godse, BJP nominee Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur established early leads in Bhopal against Congress stalwart Digvijaya Singh.
In Amethi, Congress president Rahul Gandhi trailed behind Union Minister and BJP leader Smriti Irani after the second round.
In Bhopal, while the BJP candidate Sadhvi had polled over 92,180 votes, former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Digvijaya Singh was trailing by over 30,000 votes.
Sadhvi's comment on the assassin of Mahatma Gandhi has landed her into discipline row in the party with Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself expressing his displeasure for her remarks.
The BJP president Amit Shah has served her a showcause notice.
In West Bengal, BJP established early leads in 14 out of 42 seats while Mamata Banerjee was leading in 23 and Congress two.
In Asansol, BJP nominee Babul Surpiyo was leading against Moon Moon Sen by a margin of 33,585 votes.
In Chhattisgarh, which Congress won during December Assembly polls, seemed to have gone in favour of the saffron party again with BJP leading in 9 seats and Congress was leading in 2. The BJP has established early leads in Raipur, Durg and Raigarh among others while Congress nominees seemed to be comfortable in Naxalite-hit Bastar and Bilaspur.
In Rajasthan too, the saffron party seemed to have gained grounds since December polls and the party was leading in as many as 24 seats out of 25 seats. According to early trends in Nagaur, the Rashtriya Loktantrik Party established leads by 33,608.
The BJP was leading in Ajmer, Alwar, Banswara, Barmer and Jaipur among others. In Jodhpur, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot's son Vaibhav Gehlot was trailing against BJP candidate and Union Minister Gajendra Singh Sekhawat.
In Uttar Pradesh, Prime Minister Narendra Modi was much ahead of his nearest rival of Samajwadi Party Shalini Yadav by 72,318 votes. Mr Modi, who is seeking re-election from the temple city, has so far polled 1,07,511 votes while Ms Yadav could manage only 35,193 votes. Congress has fielded Ajay Rai from the constituency.
In Mainpuri, Mulayam Singh Yadav of the Samajwadi Party was ahead of his BJP rival Prem Singh Shakya and his son Akhilesh Yadav was ahead in Azamgarh.
PM slams pseudo-secularism, says world must recognise Indian democracy
New Delhi, May 23 (UNI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday described people's mandate in 2019 elections as one of the biggest events of the world in the millennium and said the world will be forced to register and recognise the power of India's democracy.
Dedicating the mandate to the power of the people, he said it was not a small feat that the turnout in voting was maximum notwithstanding the scorching heat upto the level of 42 degrees Celsius.
''I go down humbly before the people,'' he said and maintained that the election outcome was akin to people giving their blessings to a Fakir (hermit).
The Prime Minister said the mandate has exposed the double-standards of the political class who sought to justify everything in the name of secularism.
He was given a grand welcome at the party office and the Prime Minister walked alongside his long-time compatriot Amit Shah, displaying victory sign amid thousands of party workers showering flower petals and raising 'Modi-Modi' slogan.
Citing the epic Mahabharata, he said after the great war, Lord Krishna had said that he was not in favour of one side or the other but he was in favour of Hastinapur.
Similarly, the people of India took upon themselves the role of Lord Krishna and took upon themselves the selfless role and participated in the elections keeping the national interest supreme in their mind.
''This was a mandate for new India,'' he said, adding that it also shows people's sincerity to fight election and faceless Indians' struggle for self-respect for themselves.
The grand ceremony was attended by Rajnath Singh, Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Ramlal among others.
PM responds to Imran, says peace must get 'primacy'
New Delhi, May 23 (UNI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday evening responded positively to the 'peace' gestures from his Pakistan counterpart Imran Khan and said he has always given "primacy" to peace and development in the region.
"Thank you PM Imran Khan. I warmly express my gratitude for your good wishes. I have always given primacy to peace and development in our region," the Prime Minister tweeted.
Earlier in the day, Mr Khan congratulated Mr Modi on the electoral victory of the BJP and its allies.
"Looking forward to work with him for peace, progress and prosperity in South Asia," Mr Imran Khan tweeted shortly after it became clear that the BJP and its NDA constituents were heading for a landslide victory and return to power.
Modi’s three promises: nothing for self, nothing with ill-intention and devotion to nation
NEW DELHI, MAY 23 (UNI) Dedicating the massive victory of the BJP to the people of India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday made three promises to the nation – nothing for self, never to work with ill intention and devoting every moment of his time for the country.
Amid lusty chants of ``Modi, Modi’’ by enthusiastic party cadres at the BJP headquarters, the Prime Minister also assured the people that he would take even staunch political rivals along in his mission of building a new, developed and prosperous India during his second five year term of 2019 to 2024.
``It is possible to make mistakes while working but I will not do anything with wrong intention and my promise to the people of nation is that I will not do anything for myself,’’ Mr Modi said.
Seeking to unveil his new image of a consensus builder, Mr. Modi, in his victory speech, said that negative forces have been crushed by the massive mandate given by the people to the BJP-led NDA which also casts a heavy responsibility on the ruling dispensation.
Declaring that the Constitution was supreme for him and the party, he gave a clarion call to his compatriots to eliminate poverty as India marches ahead to become a developed nation over the next few years. He said there would be only two castes in India in future – those who are poor and those who seek to help the poor and eliminate poverty.
``Whatever happened in the elections, it’s past now…will take the opposition along in the interest of the nation and in the spirit of the Constitution,’’ he said.
Mr. Modi said that 2019 general elections were devoid of oft-repeated issues of corruption, casteism and price rise. He also sought to pull the mask off the so-called pseudo secular forces who, he added, would need to latch on to a wholly new narrative of a new, confident, positive and aspirational India of 21st century.
Referring to the BJP’s electoral journey from two Lok Sabha seats to returning to power for a second term in 2019, Mr. Modi said the party had never deviated from its ideals, beliefs, humility, culture and conscience. ``There have been many ups and downs in our journey from two MPs to winning a second term but we have not compromised with our principles and will not give up our humility,’’ he told the gathering.
He said the landslide victory of the BJP was that of 40 crore-strong unorganized labourers for whom pension scheme has been launched and was also that of law-abiding and tax paying middle class.
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