Rahul Gandhi Forecasts Strong Opposition Surge, Limits BJP To 150 Seats In Lok Sabha Elections

At a joint press conference former Congress president Rahul Gandhi and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, made bold predictions about the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, indicating a significant undercurrent favoring the opposition INDIA bloc. Gandhi asserted that the BJP’s seat tally would likely be restricted to around 150, a sharp decline from earlier projections. He cited reports from various states indicating an upward trend for the opposition and expressed confidence in the performance of the alliance, particularly in Uttar Pradesh.

Expounding on the party’s electoral manifesto, Gandhi criticized Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s tenure, attributing a decline in employment opportunities to policies such as demonetization and the implementation of GST. He outlined the Congress’s vision for job creation, including proposals such as the right to apprenticeship for graduates and diploma holders in Uttar Pradesh. Gandhi highlighted initiatives aimed at empowering youth and addressing paper leak issues through legislative measures.

Echoing Gandhi’s sentiments, Samajwadi Party Chief Akhilesh Yadav hailed the INDIA bloc as a beacon of hope for the electorate. Yadav underscored the importance of uplifting farmers and ensuring remunerative prices for agricultural produce as key strategies for poverty alleviation. He expressed solidarity with the INDIA alliance’s commitment to implementing Minimum Support Price (MSP) policies and boosting farmers’ income to combat poverty effectively.

The electoral landscape in Uttar Pradesh sees the Congress contesting only 17 seats in collaboration with the Samajwadi Party. Despite their alliance in the 2017 assembly elections under the “UP ke Ladke” banner, they faced defeat against the BJP, which secured a commanding majority with 325 seats.

Responding to questions about his electoral constituency, Gandhi deflected queries, stating that such decisions were within the purview of the party’s Central Election Committee (CEC). He emphasized the collective decision-making process within the Congress party regarding candidate selections.

Voting in Uttar Pradesh will be conducted in seven phases, with keen interest in key constituencies such as Ghaziabad. The BJP has nominated Atul Garg as its candidate for the Ghaziabad seat, following the withdrawal of Union Minister Gen (retd) VK Singh. Garg will face tough competition from the INDIA bloc candidate and Congress leader Dolly Sharma, alongside BSP’s Nand Kishore Pundir.

In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP and its ally Apna Dal(S) defied expectations by securing 64 of the 80 seats in Uttar Pradesh, overshadowing the SP-BSP ‘mahagatbandhan,’ which managed to win only 15 seats.