NEW DELHI: BJP today trumpeted projections of recent opinion polls to claim that only NDA can provide a stable government after Lok Sabha elections and suggested that several regional parties, which were once its allies, could return to its fold leading to “greater NDA”.
Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley said the greater NDA, which Atal Bihari Vajpayee had formed, should comprise regional parties which occupy the non-Congress space in their states.
The opinion polls, he said, projected the BJP as the front-runner and current indications show that it could surpass its previous highest tally of 183 seats. The number of Congress MPs may actually be in two digits, he said.
“Who then forms the Government? Is there any contender other than the BJP and the NDA?…In terms of these indications, it should lead to a government of greater NDA which Atalji had formed. A number of parties who constituted the greater NDA are poised to do well.
“The greater NDA should in addition to the existing NDA parties comprise regional parties which occupy the non-Congress space in their states,” he said in a statement.
Ruling out a third-front government, he said the possibility of smaller parties “cobbling up” a group can never provide a stable government. In any case, their numbers don’t add up, he said, adding that the possibility of all these parties joining hands is “impossible”.
“The AIADMK and DMK cannot be on the same side. The TMC and the Left cannot be on the same side. The BSP and the Samajwadi Party cannot be together,” he said.
He underlined that many parties, which occupy the non-BJP and the non-Left space in their states, appear to be getting a significant tally. The AIADMK is poised to get a number of seats while TDP is re-emerging and consolidating its vote-bank, he said.
The BJD is substantially holding on and TMC is improving its current tally, he said.
Observing that JD(U), which is in power in Bihar and had split from BJP over elevation of Narendra Modi, appears to be on a decline, Jaitley said the Lok Sabha defeat may even make its government shaky.
The BJP leader said the “most significant factor” in these opinion polls has been that Modi’s acceptability as prime ministerial candidate is about 15 to 20 per cent higher than the BJP vote in each state.
“His ability to push the party up in strong areas and contribute to its vote percentage in the non-strong areas is evident. How else can we justify the projected 17 per cent vote share in Tamil Nadu and 25 percent in Odisha,” he said.
The BJP’s vote in Assam is reasonably intact and it appears to be going back into double digits in states like Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal, he said in his take on opinion polls. In the states of North, Central and West India, the strike rate of BJP has significantly increased, he said.
In the run-up to the elections, decisive leadership, revival of the economy and the removal of corruption appear to be the key issues, he said, adding that these opinion polls have indicated that a stable government will also be weighing on the minds of the people.–PTI
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