BJP to win ‘good number of seats’ in Kerala, form govt with AIADMK in TN: Rajnath

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, also a senior BJP leader who was in Kerala on Sunday (March 28) has said the party is expected to win “a good number of seats” in that state and that the NDA will form the government in alliance with the AIADMK in Tamil Nadu.

He said the party’s ascent to power in Kerala would be gradual. “We will do it gradually. With good governance at the Centre, the BJP has established a good track record. People see the fact that BJP-ruled states have good governance. There are no major corruption charges against BJP governments. People have started feeling that only the BJP can provide good governance. This will help the party win the confidence of people in Kerala also,” he told The Indian Express.

“Our vote share in Kerala is good now. And in this election, our votes will go up and we are expected to get a good number of seats there,” he said.

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He said the BJP does not want to do politics on a particular religion or community. “We want to take everyone along”. To a question on the minorities’ distrust in BJP, he said both the ruling LDF and the opposition UDF are trying to polarize the minorities in Kerala. “But we don’t believe in the politics of polarization. Ours is politics of the common masses”.

Commenting on the recent incident in Uttar where two nuns were forced by a crowd to leave a train coach on suspicion of indulging in religious conversion, he said there was strict action against the culprits. “No one should be harassed. We want to see justice to all, appeasement of none.”

He said the NDA government would bring legislation to protect the Sabarimala shrine practices.

Elections for the 140-member Kerala Assembly are due on April 6. The BJP has announced candidates for 115 seats. It has kept the rest of the seats for its allies, mainly the Bharath Dharma Jana Sena.

‘Metro Man’ E Sreedharan who recently joined the BJP is contesting from the Palakkad assembly constituency. Former Union minister KJ Alphons will be contesting from the Kanjirrapally assembly constituency. The party has also named former governor of Mizoram and state BJP chief Kummanam Rajasekharan as its candidate from the Nemom constituency.

Also read: UDF promises homemaker pension, law to protect Sabarimala in Kerala