Pan-India popularity of PM Modi, BJP's organisation to ensure 370 seats: Mandaviya

Making his Lok Sabha poll debut, Union Minister Mansukh Mandaviya asserted on Thursday that the BJP will maintain its dominance in its strongholds and ride the pan-India support for Prime Minister Narendra Modi to emerge stronger in south and east India to reach its target of 370 seats.

In an exclusive interview with PTI, he expressed confidence that the BJP will gain significantly in states like West Bengal and Odisha, and in several parts of south India during the seven-phase elections starting from April 19.

''The mood of the country is that people have decided to repose their faith in Prime Minister Narendra Modi again. And, this sentiment is prevalent not only in northern states but throughout the country. We have recently seen a Modi wave in south India and how people turned up in large numbers to give him their blessings,'' Mandaviya said.

Mandaviya, who holds the crucial portfolios of health, and chemicals and fertilisers, said the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) will cross the 400-mark riding the soaring pan-India popularity of Modi, his government's various development initiatives and the hard work of its members.

A seasoned BJP leader from Gujarat, Mandaviya will be fighting the Lok Sabha elections for the first time after being a Rajya Sabha member for two terms. He is contesting from the Porbandar constituency of the state.

Noting that the BJP has more than 13 crore primary members, he said, ''Keeping in view the hard work of 'karyakartas', people's faith and Modi's clarion call, I am confident that the BJP will win 370 plus seats, the NDA will cross the 400 mark and the government will once again be formed under Prime Minister Modi's leadership,'' Mandaviya said.

To a question on if BJP's seats in south India, Odisha and West Bengal will increase, Mandaviya replied in the affirmative, saying, ''it will''. ''There was a time when we were only at two seats. Currently, we are in saturation in states like Gujarat, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. We will increase our presence where we are weak and maintain our seats where we are dominant,'' he said. On being asked that there has been a lot of political to and fro on the arrest of Delhi Chief Minister and AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal and if that will affect the BJP's results in the Lok Sabha elections, Mandaviya said, ''The BJP will win all the seven Lok Sabha seats in the national capital like it had done last time.''

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)