Shah rejects reports of BJP setback, says party committed to quotas

Perturbed over talks that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) was struggling after two phases of polling in the crucial Bihar Assembly elections, party chief Amit Shah on Monday rejected such reports. Asserting that his party was leading in the first two phases, Shah said his party was “committed” to reservation. 

Dismissing reports of setback for the NDA, Shah said: “The NDA will win 32-34 of the 49 seats in the first phase and 24 of 32 seats in the second phase. There is no question of NDA in a tight spot. We are far ahead from our rivals.”

Shah’s statement comes a day after reports of a below par performance by the BJP in the first two phases of the bitterly fought elections were acknowledged by party lawmaker Shatrughan Sinha. The Patna Sahib MP had tweeted: “News that my party cud’ve done better in the 1st 2 phases upsets me. Hope it’s untrue. Wishing BJP candidates all the best for the next phase.”

Sinha’s tweet was supported by BJP MP Sakshi Maharaj.  The Unnao MP had said that reports coming from Bihar were not in BJP’s favour. “I have been hearing lately that we might lose Bihar. If that happens, it is entirely Bihar’s loss, not Narendra Modi or Amit Shah’s,” he said.

In a damage control move, Shah rejected Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat’s remarks to review caste-based quota and stressed that the BJP supported the existing reservation policy. “I want to clarify that the BJP totally supports reservation. We are committed to it. The central point of Prime MInister Narendra Modi’s development agenda is to take all backward people with us,” said Shah in Patna. 

The BJP was put on the back foot in Bihar when Bhagwat had recently suggested that the country’s reservation policy needed a review.