With only weeks left for the Lok Sabha polls, political strategist Prashant Kishor predicted that the BJP would make significant inroads in southern and eastern Indian states. He asserted that the saffron side would "significantly add a number of seats in eastern and southern India" and witness a massive increase in vote share in Tamil Nadu.
"I had said this a year back that for the first time I see the BJP in double digits in Tamil Nadu in terms of vote share. They (BJP) will either be first or second party in Telangana which is a big thing. They will be number one in Odisha for sure. You would be surprised as, in all likelihood, to my mind, the BJP is going to be the number one party in West Bengal," Prashant Kishor told news agency PTI during an interview.
He, however, predicted that the BJP is unlikely to surpass 370 seats in the 540-member Lok Sabha, which is the saffron side's target in the forthcoming elections.
In the 2014 or 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP failed to exceed even 50 seats collectively in Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Odisha, West Bengal, and Bihar. The party won 29 seats in 2014 in these states, and 47 constituencies in 2019.
The political strategist further predicted that YSRC party supremo and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy would find it "difficult" to make a comeback. The state is among four states, including Arunachal Pradesh, Odisha and Sikkim, to go into Assembly polls alongside the Lok Sabha elections.
"In Andhra Pradesh, it will be difficult for Jagan Mohan Reddy to make a comeback. There are many reasons. One of them is that there are leaders like Jagan Mohan Reddy who have become provider rather than being a leader. There's a huge difference between being an elected leader and starting to think yourself as a provider," Prashant Kishor said.
Prashant Kishor worked for Jagan Mohan Reddy in 2019 when his YSRC party had vanquished the incumbent Telugu Desam Party (TDP), now a BJP ally in the elections.
He said that the BJP would hold its ground in the Hindi heartland states and west India, and would only feel the heat if the Opposition, especially the Congress, can ensure that it loses at least around 100 seats in these regions. Prashant Kishor, however, said that it's not going to happen.
In a swipe to Congress, Prashant Kishore said, "Count the number of visits Prime Minister (Narendra Modi) had made to Tamil Nadu in the last five years versus Rahul Gandhi or Sonia Gandhi or any other opposition leader for that matter made in battleground states. Your fight is in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh, but you are touring Manipur and Meghalaya. Then how will you get success?"
He pointed out that the Opposition had three distinct and realistic chances of stopping the BJP juggernaut but destroyed the opportunities because of misplaced strategies and laziness.
Prashant Kishor also advised former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi to "step aside" and "take a break" if the party fails to put up a good show in the Lok Sabha elections.
