Election 2019: BJP will win at least 23 seats in West Bengal, says Shah

Amit Shah

Kolkata: BJP president Amit Shah on Monday accused West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee of criticising the Election Commission out of her fear of losing the Lok Sabha polls and said the saffron party will win at least 23 seats in the state.

West Bengal has 42 Lok Sabha seats, out of which Banerjee's Trinamool Congress had bagged 34 in the 2014 general elections while the BJP had got two. The Congress had managed to win four seats while the Left Front's tally had dwindled to just two in 2014.

The BJP has launched an aggressive campaign in the state for the ongoing Lok Sabha polls. While voting has already taken place on five Lok Sabha seats in the state during the first two phases, polling will take place on another five seats on Tuesday, followed by 32 further seats over four more phases through May 19.

Referring to the 2011 West Bengal state assembly elections when the TMC first came to power in the state, Shah said Communists used to indulge in violence during polls but she won at that time because people had decided for a change and she should understand that rather than complaining about functioning of the poll panel.

Addressing an election rally on Sunday, Banerjee had alleged that officers sent by the Election Commission as special observers are abusing and insulting the people of West Bengal, as she accused the BJP of trying to run a parallel government in the state.

At a press conference here on Sunday, Shah said, "When people decide for change then no one can stop it. No violence can stop it. Mamata Didi should be aware about it because communists also used to indulge in violence but even then she came to power. And now people of Bengal have decided to support Prime Minister Narendra Modi."

Shah said when Mamata was fighting the Left Front in 2011, several police officers were changed and special observers were appointed, but she never complained at that time.

"Now when the EC is doing the same thing, she is saying a parallel government is being run. She is fearing that her goons cannot have a free run," he alleged.

Replying to a question, Shah said the BJP will win "at least 23 Lok Sabha seats" in West Bengal.

Asked if the BJP will seek support from the Trinamool Congress in case it falls short of a majority to form the government at the Centre, he said, "The question does not arise. We will get a full majority. The information from across the country after the first two phases is that the people have voted with enthusiasm to re-elect Modiji as a prime minister again."

Reiterating his charge that the "democracy has ceased to exist in West Bengal", Shah said people of the state will defeat Trinamool in this election.

Defending the party's decision to nominate Pragya Singh Thakur as a Lok Sabha candidate from Bhopal, he said allegations against her are false and the real culprits in the Malegaon blast case have evaded the law.

"As far as Sadhvi Pragya is concerned, false cases were filed against her in the name of Hindu terror and saffron terror. It was proved in court that these are false cases. Everybody was acquitted," Shah said.

"If false cases were filed against Sadhvi Pragya and Swami Aseemanand, then where are the real culprits?" Shah asked while addressing a media conference here.

Claiming that the "real culprits" were let off after being arrested, he said, questions should be asked why they were released.

On the contentious Citizenship (Amendment) Bill and the NRC, the BJP president asserted his party will pass the Bill after coming back to power and implement the National Register of Citizens (NRC) across the country to provide Indian citizenship to refugees and weed out infiltrators.

"The Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Christians refugees will not face any problem. They will be given citizenship and will remain in this country with full dignity," Shah said.

On allegations raised by TMC that several leaders who were accused in chit fund scam have joined BJP, Shah said, "We have inducted them in the party after checking their record. When there is a complete investigation, you will get to know
the truth."

He had earlier alleged that TMC has destroyed several pieces of evidence in the chit fund scam and said if BJP is voted to power in Bengal, it would ensure that all those involved in the chit fund scam are punished.

He also mocked the Opposition for "failing to present" a clear policy on national security and its "inability" to put forward a single leader.

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