BJP has no choice but to go in for an alliance in forthcoming elections
Showing the willingness for unity of various Republican factions, the Union Minister of State for Social Justice and RPI (A) President, Ramdas Athawale has at the same time, predicted a major setback for the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) in the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections.
Speaking to reporters, Athawale said, “Though Modi has worked hard and has taken lot of decisions in favour of the common people, the situation is different from 2014. Hence, the BJP will lose at least 40 to 50 seats across India and will come down from the existing 283 seats to 240 or 250. The Congress will win at least 100 to 110 seats in the next general elections.”
Significantly, Athawale's party is in alliance with the BJP and after Shiv Sena, the Republican Party of India (A), has claimed that the Modi wave is declining and ultimately this will affect the results of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. He said, “The BJP will not come to power in 2019 on its own strength. They will be forced to take the support of other parties to form the government. In 2014, the situation was different. Now, the air has changed the direction. Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra were the states, which contributed a major share for BJP to grab the power.”
“What I personally feel is that if the Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) of Mayawati come together against the BJP in the next Lok Sabha election, that will pose a major challenge for the BJP. In Maharashtra, BJP won 23, the Shiv Sena won 18 and one more seat of NDA was of Raju Shetti. It means the NDA won 42 seats. This scenario will certainly change,” he added further.
When asked about Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray’s plans to go it alone in the polls, Athawale said, “I have a gut feeling that Shiv Sena finally will remain in the NDA if at all Prime Minister Narendra Modi intervenes. It is the wish of Sena MPs; BJP should take an initiative for the alliance and Modi should speak to Thackeray.”