Mumbai: Drawing a parallel between the situation in the state and Haryana, defence minister Rajnath Singh said on Saturday that the BJP numbers in the Lok Sabha election in Haryana fell short of expectations but voters backed the party with a clear majority in the recent assembly poll there. He said a similar pattern would emerge when the state votes on Wednesday in its assembly election.
Making his first campaign appearance in Vasai for BJP candidate Sneha Dube, Singh offered apologies to the crowd at Kalpataru ground for his delayed arrival during the final phase of election campaigning. He acknowledged BJP’s underwhelming performance in Haryana during the Lok Sabha election, where it secured five of the 10 seats contested. He said that five months later in Oct, voters granted th e BJP a decisive majority, with the party securing 48 seats in the Haryana assembly election, marking a third consecutive victory there.
Addressing the situation in the state, Singh noted the below-par performance of the BJP in the May Lok Sabha poll, where BJP won nine of 28 seats it contested, dropping 14 seats from the previous election. The NDA secured 17 of the 48 seats, showing a decline of 24 seats.
Rajnath expressed optimism about the Mahayuti alliance achieving a majority in the assembly election. Singh emphasised the necessity of BJP’s presence both at the Centre and state levels for progress. He criticised the MVA, labelling it as an “ATM” party focused solely on financial gains amidst internal conflicts.
Gujarat home minister Harsh Sanghavi accompanied Singh at the event.
Singh commended Dube’s social service contributions, endorsing her as an appropriate representative for assembly matters. Dube faces competition from sitting MLA and Bahujan Vikas Aghadi president Hitendra Thakur.