Predicting a fractured poll mandate in Telangana, the BJP on Sunday claimed that it would play a "vital role" in the formation of the next Government in the southern State, where the TRS is eyeing to retain power.
Telangana went to polls on December 7 and the results for the State's 119 Assembly seats will be announced on December 11.
"We have contested the election on our own for the first time after a decade. We have contested the polls to win. The BJP will be part of the Government. Without the BJP, there cannot be any Government. What happens after the results are declared, we will think of it," State Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president K Laxman told PTI.
He asserted that the saffron party had become a formidable force in Telangana and that it would increase its vote share substantially and the number of seats considerably.
"We have surely become a formidable force in Telangana. We will increase our vote share and even the number of seats. The BJP is definitely going to play a very vital role in the formation of Government," Laxman said. Asked about the reports that quoted him as saying that the BJP would support the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) in the event of a hung verdict, he said his comments were being taken "in a different manner".
The BJP leader, however, replied in the affirmative when asked if he had predicted a hung House. "It will definitely be a fractured mandate. If we had the time (to prepare for the polls), we would have formed the Government on our own. Due to the time constraint, plus, unable to stand the (Prime Minister) Modi wave, the TRS opted for an early election, just to avoid Modi's charisma in simultaneous polls. We have bright chances," he said.