BJP will get over 300 seats: Amit Shah

Sitting alongside Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the end of gruel and long campaigning, BJP president Amit Shah on Friday exuded confidence that BJP-led NDA would get more than 300 seats and come back to power with its allies.

Notwithstanding the confidence on getting a majority on their own, he said the BJP would welcome new allies after the results.

"In 2014, we came to power with a historic verdict. In 2019, we will return with a bigger majority. For the first time, a non-Congress government came to power with a huge majority. We have now come to the end of election campaign. The BJP has run the most extensive campaign in history," Shah said while addressing a press conference at the party headquarters.

 

Modi, however, did not take questions, saying "In BJP, everything is the party president."

"Narendra Modi has been accepted by the people, I guarantee you that BJP, under Narendra Modi's leadership, is going to form the next government. People have been ahead of us in their determination to form a Modi government once again," he added.

Shah said this will be the first time that a non-Congress government with a single party majority will come back to power on the basis of its performance.

"We will get more than 300 seats along with our pre-poll allies. We will have the government. It'll be a coalition government," he said in response to questions.

Asked about taking the help of new parties, he said, "We are open to having anybody who will accept our agenda."

He dismissed the possibility of Opposition alliances gaining seats saying, "if two leaders form alliances in AC rooms in Delhi, it doesn't mean that people will follow them like bonded labour."

Replying to a question on Congress chief Rahul Gandhi saying that Modi did not join debate with him on the Rafale issue, Shah said, "Rahul Gandhi should go to the Supreme Court with whatever material he has. There was no compromise on the deal and no favouritism was done. Not a paisa was involved in any corruption."

Recalling various schemes launched by the NDA government in the last five years, Shah said that the central government has ensured that 'vikas' (development) reached the lowest section of society through its schemes.

"There's a Modi wave in the country which will re-elect Prime Minister Narendra Modi again. In the whole world, India is recognised as a powerful country. Since Independence, these elections have been the biggest for BJP," he said.

Shah went on to add that BJP started its election campaigning from January 16 in a bid to win the 120 Lok Sabha seats it lost in the previous elections. "We are confident that we will receive good results. We will get more seats in West Bengal, Odisha and even in Karnataka," he added.

Seven-phase Lok Sabha elections, which began on April 11, will conclude on May 19. Results of the electoral exercise will be out on May 23.