Bypolls on local issues, it'll be Modi again in 2019: BJP

The BJP dismissed its big loss in the bypolls, tthe results of which came out on Thursday, saying they were no reflection of things to come and when the country will have to chose its Prime Minister, it will be Narendra Modi again.

"When elections will happen in 2019, when Prime Minister will have to be chosen, the people of India know what is the meaning of PM. P is for 'performance' and M is for 'mehnat' (hard work) ... on this measuring scale, Modi ji alone will be the country's PM," said party spokesman Sambit Patra at a press conference.

The way the Modi government has worked in the past four years providing electricity to left-out villages and homes, provided 1.5 times the cost to farmers, provided water through irrigation programmes and four crore lPG cylinders to houses, "natural 'performance is with us and 'mehnat' is also with us".

"So, when 2019 election will happen on the measuring scale of 'performance' and 'mehnat', Modi ji alone will be country's Prime Minister. BJP under the leadership of Modi ji and Amit Shah's hard work will win more seats in 2019 than it did in 2014," he added.

Putting a brave front, Patra said the BJP had lost in bypolls in 2014 even after winning the general elections with a huge mandate but in 2017 it won 325 seats in Uttar Pradesh and formed the government. "Why did this happenIJ" he asked.

"It is because bypolls are fought on local issues and it does not chose a Chief Minister or a Prime Minister. After losing the 2014 bypolls, when in 2017 Uttar Pradesh had to chose the Chief Minister, people blessed BJP and we won 325 seats," said the BJP leader.

Saying it was a day of introspection for the BJP to seek the reasons for the loss, Patra, however, felt it was more important for the Congress to do the introspection instead of throwing barbs at others and clapping at the performance of other regional parties.

Also seeking to cite the positives, he went on to highlight how BJP has emerged as the second leading party in West Bengal, where in Maheshtala constituency, it raised its voteshare from seven per cent in 2016 state assembly elections to more than 25 per cent this bypoll with the Congress and left party combine relegated to the third position despite getting more than 42 per cent voteshare in 2016.

"The kind of progress BJP has achieved in Bengal is historic," he said.