Telangana, Odisha, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar and Kerala together account for 204 seats in the Lok Sabha.
The BJP, besides making big gains in the South, will emerge as the top party in both West Bengal and Odisha in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, Prashant Kishor, election strategist-turned-activist who now heads the Jan Suraaj Abhiyan, said Monday.
“They (BJP) will either be first or second party in Telangana which is a big thing. They will be number one in Odisha for sure. You would be surprised as, in all likelihood, to my mind, the BJP is going to be the number one party in West Bengal,” he said during an interaction with news agency PTI.
However, Kishor stated that the saffron party will not be winning 370 seats, a target that they have set.
Telangana, Odisha, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar and Kerala together account for 204 seats in the Lok Sabha. However, in 2014 and 2019, they had cumulatively won 29 and 47 seats respectively.
Talking about Andhra Pradesh, where Assembly polls will be held alongside the Lok Sabha elections, Kishor said that Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy will find it “very difficult” to make a comeback. “Reddy, like former Chhattisgarh chief minister Bhupesh Baghel, has gone into a provider mode for his constituents, instead of being a fulfiller of people’s aspirations,” he added.
On the overall polls, Kishor said that the BJP will only be feeling pressure if the Opposition alliance, especially the Congress, can ensure that it loses at least around 100 seats in its strongholds of north and west India. “However, by and large, the BJP will be able to hold its ground in these regions,” he added.
Source: https://indianexpress.com/elections/lok-sabha-polls-2024-bjp-bengal-odisha-prashant-kishor-9257834/