Amit Shah says 120 plus seats in Odisha is next target

Bhubaneswar: BJP National President Amit Shah today announced that his party will not enter into any sort of electoral alliance with any other political party in Odisha and fight the 2019 election in the state alone. Addressing a press conference on the second day of his three-day tour to the state to strengthen the party organisation base ahead of the 2019 election in the state, Mr Shah reiterated that BJP would win 120 plus seats in Odisha.

Reacting to the doubt expressed by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and some senior BJD party leaders about his announcement to win the 120 plus seats in the Assembly election, the BJP President said the “BJP‘s mission to win 120 plus seats sounds impossible to some people due to their old age.”

He said, BJP has formed governments in Goa, Manipur, Assam, Maharashtra and in Uttar Pradesh recently and would form the government in Odisha also in the 2019 Assembly elections. Mr Shah said though in Uttar Pradesh the party has only 15 per cent votes before the election it formed the government in state with three fourth majority. In Odisha, he said the party has 18 per cent votes and garnered 33 per cent votes in the last Panchayat Elections. Replying to a question as to the BJP will project Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan as the Chief Ministerial candidate, the BJP President said the party has not yet identified any one as the face of the party in the state.

When asked whether the mission of the party to win 120 plus seats in Odisha would be affected in view of the Congress emerging in the political scene, Mr Shah quipped both the Congress and the BJD were losing ground. He replied in negative when asked whether any disgruntled leaders from the BJD and Congress are joining the BJP. “We have not discussed about it with anyone,” Mr Shah remarked. (UNI)