JOIN USAs the campaign ended on Thursday evening, BJP chief Amit Shah said that the Assembly poll results cannot be treated as a referendum on the Modi government’s functioning.
But the party continued to adopt its aggressive stand of directly hitting out at rival AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal for what they said not delivering his promises and accepting black money.
Poll survey
With two days remaining for the polling, at least four poll surveys projections gave the BJP edge in the direct contest with the AAP.
A day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi appealed to voters not to get influenced by psepholigists terming them “bazaaru log (petty soothsayers)”, BJP chief Shah too did not buy their prediction and insisted that the party will wining the polls with “big majority”.
The party chief said, "It is true that it is an election for chief ministership. The election in a state cannot be a referendum (about Centre's functioning). While this is indeed true that the good work of the government of India has its impact on elections, a state election cannot become a referendum (on Centre's functioning) because of that one thing”.
Union Minister M Venkaiah Naidu too had stated the same thing on Wednesday evening but Shah had a different take on it.
"Venkaiahji has not said that. He has said that Delhi election is to elect a chief minister. You also know the Constitution. Elections in Delhi are never to elect the prime minister," Shah told a news channel.
Reacting to Shah’s statement, Kejriwal said that the BJP has already conceded defeat by distancing Modi from Assembly polls. “This indicates that the BJP has already conceded defeat. The first sign was visible when they brought and instantly projected Kiren Bedi has their CM candidate,” he said.
The AAP leader reiterated that Bedi was inducted into the party to make her “bali ka bakra (sacrificial goat)”.
Shah held a late night meetingon Wednesday, which went on till about 3 pm, of its core group to fine tune its poll management strategy and use all resources in the next two days before polling on Sarurday.
The RSS too has decided to deploy its cadres on booths to attracct voters, especially middle class and educated people.
Controversial seer Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh Dera Sacha Sauda too has pledged its support to the BJP.