BJP will win all 80 Lok Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh, says deputy CM Brajesh Pathak

Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak. Pic/X@brajeshpathakup

Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak on Wednesday expressed confidence about his party BJP wining all the 80 Lok Sabha seats in the key northern state in the 2024 general elections, reported news agency PTI.

He said the just held Rajya Sabha polls saw all the eight BJP candidates emerging victorious in Uttar Pradesh and the party is drawing inspiration from this win.

"We are going to win all the 80 (Lok Sabha) seats in Uttar Pradesh. You have seen the results of Rajya Sabha elections, where the BJP had given nominations to eight candidates and the party won all the eight seats as MLAs (who took part in voting process) gave their blessings," Pathak noted, reported PTI.

In 2019, the saffron party had won 62 Lok Sabha seats in the county's most populous state.

The BJP leader was in Pune to address a convention of the party's booth in-charges in the city in lead up to the general elections, which are likely to be held in April-May, reported PTI.

Pathak, during his visit, held meetings with core committee members of the BJP and discussed strategies and preparations for the Lok Sabha elections in Pune, reported PTI.

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Meanwhile, the Shiv Sena is firm on contesting 18 seats it won in Maharashtra in the last Lok Sabha polls, a party leader said after a meeting between Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and party MPs on Monday, reported PTI.

The fate of the four seats it lost in the 2019 general elections will be decided by the CM, the leader added.

"A decision has been taken to form a coordination committee for Mumbai. Instructions were also given to MPs Rahul Shewale and Milind Deora with regards to the party's poll preparations in Mumbai," the leader said, reported PTI.

"We will contest 18 seats we won in 2019. We have given Chief Minister Shinde the authority to decide on the four seats we lost," said the party leader who is also an MP from north Maharashtra, reported PTI.

It is not clear how many seats the constituents of the ruling alliance, comprising the BJP, the Shinde-led Shiv Sena and the Ajit Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party, will contest in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, reported PTI.

The MPs were also told to focus on the bill passed by the state government to give reservation to the Maratha community, the infrastructure works carried out by the Centre as well as the state government and Hindutva, reported PTI.

Emphasising better coordination between allies, CM Shinde also directed that a coordination committee be formed for better synergy.

During the meeting, the MPs were asked whether any last minute intervention was needed with regards to work in their constituencies before the model code of conduct kicks in for the Lok Sabha polls, which are to he held in the first half of the year, reported PTI.

The party will also focus on the rapid infrastructure development in the city, he said, reported PTI.

The undivided Shiv Sena contested 22 seats in 2019 Lok Sabha polls and won 18 of them.

After the split in the Shiv Sena in June 2022, 13 of these MPs remained with Shinde while five stayed with the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT).

(With inputs from PTI)