UP Elections 2022: Amit Shah says Congress, SP, BSP together cannot defeat BJP; aims at 300-plus seats

Amit Shah told state party leaders and workers that they must focus on polling booths if they want the party to win the coming assembly polls. 

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday announced that even if the Congress, Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party join hands, they cannot defeat the BJP in the upcoming Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, reported The Indian Express.

Shah made the claim while addressing organisational functionaries from across the state — including those in charge of the 403 Assembly constituencies, leaders of district and regional units — in Varanasi on Friday.

The Indian Express quoted sources saying that Shah praised Yogi Adityanath government on law and order, action against mafia and management of health services during the pandemic. Shah is learnt to have said that while every government faces anti-incumbency, the pro-incumbency mood in favour of the Adityanath government was far stronger.

They further quoted Shah telling the gathering that the results of the 2022 UP elections would be crucial for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. He said all eyes were on UP, as the route to victory in Delhi passes through this state.

He told state party leaders and workers that they must focus on polling booths if they want the party to win the coming assembly polls.

“Booth jeeta to UP jeeta,” (Win the booth and you will win UP), he said, according to BJP’s state president Swatantra Dev Singh who briefed reporters on the meeting which is being seen as an indication that Shah will be actively involved in the ruling party’s campaign to return to power in the state.

The party will win the upcoming state assembly polls on the strength of the workers and they will ensure the win for the party, Singh quoted Shah as telling the meeting, convened to discuss the poll strategy for the upcoming elections.

The strategy session was attended by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Union Minister and BJP’s UP affairs in-charge Dharmendra Pradhan, Deputy CM Dinesh Sharma and party state president Singh, besides the leaders in charge of all 403 assembly segments.

In the crucial meeting, former BJP president Shah also emphasised the need of improving public relation and making more and more people party members under the party’s membership expansion campaign, said Singh.

Decisions were also taken on the proposals for encouraging people from other parties to join the BJP on a large scale, said Singh, adding these, among others, were the strategy given to assembly in-charges, distrct presidents and state’s regional leaders for winning 300-plus seats in the 2022 polls.