Contest for PM election is almost a one horse race: Jaitley

UNI

New Delhi

Claiming that the momentum was clearly with the BJP and the Prime Minister Modi in the Lok Sabha elections, senior BJP leader and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Saturday said that in terms of national leadership contest for a Prime Ministerial election, “It is almost becoming a one horse race.”

Claiming that the results of these Lok Sabha elections would be unprecedented’, Jaitley, in a blog, said, ‘‘There is nobody else measuring up to Prime Minister Modi’s level of capacity and acceptability. Is history going to witness something wholly unprecedented? Are we going to witness the rejection of caste based and dynastic parties? And will aspirational India make a harsh judgement on electing a merit based leadership? This may well be the case.’’

Jaitley said that the centre-stage in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections was occupied by the BJP with the Congress failing to make an impact.

‘‘The direction of 2019 general election is clear. The centre-stage is occupied by the BJP. Both in terms of agenda setting and leadership, the Congress is failing to make any impact. Regional parties are putting up a fight. Their agenda is mostly State based. The national vision in their leaders is lacking. The country doesn’t trust them to form a coherent, stable and long-lasting coalition. Can a federal front be trusted with an effective management of national security?,’’ he said.

The Union Minister said wherever the contest is primarily between the BJP and the Congress, the saffron party is ‘‘comfortably placed’’ and the momentum is clearly with Prime Minister Narendra Modi as the entire reliance on the members of the first family to deliver a sustainable campaign is proving to be a non-starter.  Contending that for a large part of the electorate, Modi appeared to be the obvious choice, Jaitley said, ‘‘This is particularly true in the case of voters below 35 years of age.”

 

 

 

‘My vote is for Modi’ is the general refrain from the ground. Claiming that the BJP/NDA campaign is more focused compared to that of the Congress and other parties, Jaitley said, ‘‘In a comparison of three campaigns, the
BJP/NDA campaign is focussed. It sets the agenda. There is clarity about the leadership of Narendra Modi. There appears to be a strong groundswell in his favour.”

“The campaign focusses on major achievements of the past five years, particularly relating to strengthening the poor and the middle-class, a clean Government and a special emphasis on national security. The alliance is coherent and the issues being projected are focused,” he added.

“Based on fake issues, the key thrust of what the Congress was building up in the last one year, has cracked up. They are now concentrating on a new scheme declared in their manifesto which is cutting no ice with people,” said Jaitley.