The BJP’s target of winning at least 370 seats on its own in the ongoing Lok Sabha elections is not a “randomly mentioned number,’ according to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar.
“You (interviewer) have said that the 370 target is a ‘slogan.’ Some thought has gone into it (fulfillng the target). I don’t think PM Modi has ever mentioned a number randomly,” Jaishankar told NDTV.
The minister explained how the saffron party aims to achieve its goal.
“In several states, we will be able to hold our position, and in some states, we will increase our seats: West Bengal, Odisha, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Uttar Pradesh,” the ex-foreign secretary stated.
However, as some of these states are not traditional strongholds of the BJP, Jaishankar was asked how it would perform well there.
“The BJP is a professional party and does not rely on guesswork. We analyse at the booth level and move upwards. When we say we will get this number of seats in this state, a lot of thought has gone into it,” he replied.
Many have linked the BJP’s 370+ target with the Narendra Modi government’s abrogation of Article 370 from Jammu and Kashmir. In August 2019, months after the Modi government was re-elected for a second consecutive term, the legislation, which granted “special status” to J&K, was revoked, and the erstwhile state was divided into two existing Union territories: J&K, and Ladakh.
Overall, the ruling party aims to win over 400 seats with its National Democratic Alliance (NDA) partners in the 543-member Lok Sabha, in the current polls . It is also seeking what, if achieved, will be its third straight single-party majority, and a hattrick of terms for Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The seven-phase Lok Sabha elections began on April 19 and the final round of polling is scheduled for June 1. The counting of votes will be held on June 4.