Ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, Indian National Congress’ General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi campaigned in Uttar Pradesh’s Saharanpur and said that if the country conducts fair elections without any tampering of EVMs, then the Bharatiya Janata Party will not secure more than 180 seats.
Speaking to ANI, the Congress leader questioned the basis of BJP’s claim of securing more than 400 seats.
“On what basis are they saying that they will get 400, are they astrologers? Either they have done something from before and they know that they will secure more than 400 seats. Otherwise, how can they say that they will get 400 seats?... If today in this country, the elections are conducted in such a way in which there... is no tampering of EVMs, then I can say with full confidence that they will not gain more than 180 seats, in fact, they will win less than 180 seats,” she said.
Priyanka Gandhi also said that she views the election from the people’s point of view and stressed that the elections should be conducted based on the issues of the people. “I am saying this everywhere to the people, that this election should be the election of the people. It should be conducted on the issues of the people.”
Attacking PM Narendra Modi and BJP leaders, Priyanka alleged that the BJP is not talking about unemployment, and inflation. “They are not talking about the issues of unemployment and inflation. They are not talking about the real issues faced by farmers and the women. All the conversations are happening only to divert the people’s mind.”
Claiming that people want change, the Congress leader said that people have not seen any development in their lives for the past 10 years and PM Modi has got disconnected with the people.
“People want change. They don’t want this type of politics... In the past 10 years, there has not been any development in the life of any common man, or woman... They are not getting jobs, inflation is not coming down... It’s the time of festivals. Today is Ram Navami. People don’t have money to buy anything...He doesn’t talk about unemployment and inflation. I feel the people around him are not telling him about this... He is disconnected from people,” she said.
Expressing her views on the electoral bond scheme, Priyanka Gandhi questioned PM Modi for calling it a transparent system.
“Yesterday (Tuesday), he (PM Modi) said that because of the electoral bond system, the whole system has turned transparent... Now, the Supreme Court is saying to bring out the lists of donors and make it transparent... After the list was unveiled, we got to know that the company who is working for Rs 180 crore is donating Rs 1100... the ones who were raided gave you a donation and now the case has been closed. Then how is this fight against corruption? Nobody is more corrupt than them. They made the system of corruption and now when they are caught, they are saying it is a transparent list,” Priyanka Gandhi said.
Taking to her official X handle, the Congress’ general secretary tweeted, “I am overwhelmed by the love of the people of Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh. This enthusiasm, this zeal and this passion is a sign of the coming change. People who are disappointed with unemployment and inflation are now beginning to see hope for change. This enthusiasm is a reflection of that hope. The departure of BJP, which has done injustice to the people, is certain. India will unite, India will win.”
Saharanpur goes to the polls in Phase 1 on 19 April with Congress’ Imran Masood up against incumbent BJP MP Raghav Lakhanpal and Majid Ali of the BSP. The results of the Lok Sabha elections will be declared on 4 June.
BJP will be limited to 150 seats: Rahul Gandhi
Addressing a joint press conference with Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said there is a strong undercurrent in favour of the opposition INDIA bloc in the Lok Sabha elections and the BJP will be limited to 150 seats.
“I do not do prediction of seats. 15-20 days ago I was thinking the BJP would win around 180 seats but now I think they will get 150 seats. We are getting reports from every state that we are improving. We have a very strong alliance in Uttar Pradesh and we will perform very well...” the former Congress president said.
When asked about whether he will contest the general elections from Amethi or Raebarelli, Gandhi said, “This is the BJP’s question; very good. Whatever order I get, I will follow it. In our party, all these (selections of candidates) decisions are taken by the CEC.”
Elaborating on the party’s manifesto for the elections, Gandhi said, “In the last 10 years, PM Modi has reduced the system of employment generation by demonetization, by implementing the wrong GST and by supporting big billionaires like Adani. The first task is to once again strengthen employment, and for that, we have given 23 ideas in our manifesto. One idea is the revolutionary idea of the right to apprenticeship. We have decided that we will give the right to apprenticeship to all the graduates and diploma holders in Uttar Pradesh. There will be training and we will deposit Rs 100,000 per year in the bank accounts of the youth and we are giving these rights to crores of youth. We will make a law for paper leaks as well.”
The sentiment of the former Congress president was also echoed by the Samajwadi party Chief who said that the INDIA bloc had emerged as a hope for the people.
“INDIA alliance is the new hope in the elections and as Rahul ji said that there are many things in his manifesto by which poverty can be eradicated. Adding to that I want to say that the day the farmers of our country will become happy, the day the farmers of the country will start getting remunerative prices for their crops, I understand that all the political parties and especially those who are the partners of INDIA alliance are saying that they will give MSP and the day the Indian government increases the income of the farmers, poverty will go away...”
The Congress is contesting only 17 seats in Uttar Pradesh in alliance with the SP, the two parties had also allied in 2017 during the assembly elections under the banner of “UP ke Ladke”. However that alliance failed to have any impact with the BJP winning the election by an overwhelming three-quarters majority of 325 seats.
Voting in Uttar Pradesh will be held in seven phases.
The Ghaziabad seat will witness a triangular contest. The BJP has declared Atul Garg as its candidate from the Ghaziabad constituency after Union Minister and the sitting BJP MP from Ghaziabad, Gen (retd) VK Singh, withdrew himself from the fray for the Lok Sabha polls.
Garg is set to face the INDIA bloc candidate and Congress leader Dolly Sharma, while the Bahujan Samaj Party has fielded Nand Kishore Pundir.In the 2019 general elections, proving all the arithmetic of the SP-BSP ‘mahagatbandhan’ in Uttar Pradesh wrong, the BJP and its ally Apna Dal(S) won 64 of the 80 Lok Sabha seats. The SP-BSP won 15 seats.