BJP’s claims of crossing 400 seats a joke, says Tharoor
NEW DELHI: The BJP’s claim of ‘400 paar’ is a joke, ‘300 paar’ is impossible and even ‘200 paar’ may be a challenge for it in the Lok Sabha polls, Congress leader Shashi Tharoor has said, asserting that it is a ‘foregone conclusion’ the ruling party would lose majority in the Lok Sabha.
In an interaction with PTI editors at the agency’s headquarters here, Tharoor also claimed the BJP will draw a blank in Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh, and will do worse than its 2019 performance in the South.
Tharoor, who was locked in a three-way contest with Union minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar of the BJP and P Raveendran of the CPI in Thiruvananthapuram where polling took place on April 26, said he is looking at a “very comfortable win “.
If he emerges victorious, it will be a fourth consecutive win for the author-politician from Thiruvananthapuram, who is the longest-serving MP from the constituency.
Back in Delhi after a nearly two month high voltage campaign in Thiruvananthapuram, the Congress Working Committee member will now canvass in other parts of the country, being a sought after campaigner due to his oratory skills and celebrity status.
Asked how it was looking for the Congress and the INDIA bloc after two phases of the polls, the former Union minister said, “190 seats have voted so far and what I am picking up from my sources, it is tremendously positive for our side. We are not suggesting that there is an overwhelming wave but there certainly isn’t one for the government. “
“In fact, many who have been following elections for some time say that the difference between this election and the ones in 2014 and 2019 is that the predominant emotion of the BJP voters appears to be indifference and lack of enthusiasm,” Tharoor said during the freewheeling interaction. In his view, Congress members are feeling “cautiously optimistic” about many places in Hindi-speaking states that have voted so far.
“So, I would say that on balance, we are far more ahead than we would have expected at this time. Of course, there are five more phases to go in this unnecessarily protracted election,” Tharoor said.
“I would say that right now it looks increasingly likely that the BJP-NDA government will lose its majority. The BJP losing its majority seems to be a foregone conclusion,” Tharoor said.