Aim to win 200-plus seats, Shah tells BJP workers in MP
Hoshangabad (MP), Oct 14: BJP chief Amit Shah Sunday exhorted his party workers in Madhya Pradesh to strive to win over 200 seats in next month's state Assembly polls.
The polling for the 230-member Assembly in the BJP-ruled state will be held on November 28.
Speaking at a party workers' convention at Hoshangabad in the state, Shah said, "The party can form the government with less than 200 seats, but we need to cross the 200-mark because our workers in West Bengal, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana are looking towards Madhya Pradesh."
The saffron party currently has 166 MLAs in Madhya Pradesh.
Shah said the victories in the upcoming Assembly polls in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh should be so massive that they create a storm, which would turn into a "tsunami" in 2019.
"This tsunami would cover the entire country, including West Bengal, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu and Kerala," he added.
"The party has witnessed success due to the sacrifices of several workers and leaders in the last 50 years. We are lucky, but we also have a responsibility. After we win the 2018 Assembly elections and the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, we will have the responsibility of ensuring victory for the party from panchayat to Parliament for the next 50 years," Shah said.
Recalling that he was a booth in-charge in 1982, Shah said the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was the only party where an ordinary worker could rise to the president's post.
"It is possible only in the BJP that a tea-seller's son can bring glory to the country by becoming prime minister," he said, referring to Narendra Modi.
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Sujit Nair raises concerns over speculation of DMK-AIADMK understanding to block TVK
Chennai: Journalist and political commentator Sujit Nair has expressed concern over speculation that the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam could explore a post-poll understanding to prevent Vijay-led Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam from forming the government in Tamil Nadu.
In a social media post, Sujit Nair said the election verdict in Tamil Nadu reflected a clear public demand for political change and argued that the mandate should be respected irrespective of political preferences.
Referring to reports and political discussions surrounding a possible understanding between the DMK and AIADMK, he said he hoped such developments remained only speculative conversations and did not turn into reality.
Nair stated that if such an alliance were to take shape, it would raise serious questions about ideological politics in the country. He said TVK had emerged through a democratic electoral process and that the legitimacy to govern in a parliamentary democracy comes from the people’s verdict.
According to him, attempts to prevent an electoral winner from forming the government through unexpected political arrangements may be constitutionally valid, but many people could view them as politically opportunistic.
He further said that such a move could particularly affect the political image of the DMK, which has historically projected itself around ideology, social justice and opposition politics. Nair said that in ideological terms, the DMK appeared closer to TVK than to the AIADMK, and joining hands with its long-time political rival only to remain in power could weaken its broader political narrative.
He added that the same questions would apply to the AIADMK as well, as the party had spent decades positioning itself against the DMK and such an arrangement could create discomfort among its cadre and supporters.
Drawing a comparison with Maharashtra politics in 2019, Nair said he had expressed similar views when the Shiv Sena formed an alliance with the Indian National Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party after the Assembly elections.
He said post-poll alliances between long-standing political rivals often create a public perception that ideology and electoral mandates become secondary when political power equations come into play.
Nair also said such developments increase public cynicism towards politics and reinforce the belief among voters that ideology is often sidelined after elections.
He maintained that the Tamil Nadu verdict was emphatic and said respecting both the spirit and substance of the mandate was important for the credibility of democratic politics.
