Predicting a BJP win in UP in the 2017 Assembly elections. senior BJP leader and Union minister for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) Kalraj Mishra said that the party’s network and numerical strength will help the party to form the next government.
“We have a party networking up to the booth level. This is our strength and this will help us to sail through in the 2017 elections,” Mishra told The Pioneer in lucknow on Wednesday.
He said that the BJP will not face a Bihar-like situation in Uttar Pradesh as there is no possibility of an alliance between Samajwadi Party (SP) and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP). Besides people are looking towards BJP as the only party which can provide better government.
“Mission 2017 would be conducive for the BJP in UP. People are fed up with the law and order situation and they want to get rid of this corrupt and non-performing Samajwadi Party government,” he said.
Mishra said that it was wrong to compare UP with Bihar. “If you look at the vote percentage, we have improved as compared to lok Sabha elections. The BJP lost because of consolidation of anti-BJP votes in the form of Grand Alliance. There would not be any such alliance here in UP. Remember SP had walked out of GA and there is possibility that JD (U) and RJD will not join hands with SP here,” said the Union minister.
To a query about ‘loose cannons’ in the BJP, Mishra said that a few statements from some leaders had done harm to the party. “The media blew these statements out of proportion bringing a bad name to the country at international forum,” he opined.
Commenting on the issue of intolerance in the country, Mishra said: “India has always been a tolerant country with people of different faiths living in harmony. The issue is totally political as some leaders are trying to take mileage from it.”
When asked about the rise of Congress in Gujarat local bodies polls where it had performed well, Mishra said that the local bodies election is influenced by local issues and the results cannot give a clear picture about the political situation in Gujarat