Modi cites poll win data to assert BJP most preferred party for governance

New Delhi, Dec 7: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday cited poll data for assembly elections over the decades to assert that the BJP has become people’s most preferred choice for governance as its record of retaining power is better than the Congress and other parties.
Speaking at the BJP Parliamentary Party meeting, he said the BJP’s better show in state polls give the lie to the claim that it is strong at the national level but not in states.
Modi also said that not any particular leader but “team spirit and collective strength” should be credited for the party’s big win in the recent assembly polls, noting that besides winning in three states, the party’s strength has doubled in Mizoram and grown many times in Telangana, according to sources.
The Prime Minister also asked party leaders to use the simple language preferred by the masses in their interaction with them and avoid honorifics. While giving an example, he said they should use “Modi ki guarantee” instead of “Modi ji ki guarantee”. “I am just a small worker of the BJP and nothing else,” he said.
Quoting Modi, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi told reporters that the Congress faced assembly polls 40 times while in power in those states and could win only seven of them, having a dismal success rate of 18 per cent.
The corresponding figures for the BJP are 22 out of 39 times, a success rate of 56 per cent, Modi noted, citing an analysis.
Regional parties have fared better than the Congress but not the BJP as they won 18 of 36 times when in power, notching up a success rate of 50 per cent.
It is a big thing that there is positivity and no anti-incumbency among people about our party’s governments, the Prime Minister said.
Among ‘aspirational districts’, a term for places lagging on development parameters, the BJP has won 55-60 seats instead of the 15-18 it used to earlier, he said, asserting that the party has delivered good governance and improved delivery instead of distributing “revdis” (freebies).
The analysis shows that the BJP is the most preferred party for running the government, he said. “People like the BJP’s governance, decision-making and transparency,” he said.
In the case of a party in power in a state for two terms facing assembly elections, the Congress’ success rate is only 14 per cent compared to the BJP’s 59 per cent, he added. In a state like Gujarat, the BJP has won seven successive times, he noted.
The analysis shows that our policies are right as well as the direction, he said. People like the alternative model based on the mantra of ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas’ presented by the BJP for the country and the world as well, Modi said. (PTI)